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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 116 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. field — farmland
  3. branch — a division
  4. current — electric
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fork — in a road
  7. current — happening now
  8. object — an aim
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bound — tied together
  11. object — to protest
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bound — certain
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bound — obliged
  17. field — a subject
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. current — of water
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. field — for sport
  23. cap — a hat
  24. object — a thing

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