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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lean — to bend
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cap — of ice
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. can — to be able to
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cap — a lid
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. branch — a division
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cap — a hat
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com