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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. dip — to sink
  5. branch — a division
  6. board — to get on
  7. last — to go on
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — finally
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. board — a committee
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. last — final
  18. foot — a measure
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wax — to grow
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ball — a great time
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ball — a dance

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