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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. branch — a division
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bear — the animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. dip — to sink
  18. shower — rain
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pitch — completely
  23. tear — from crying
  24. dip — a sauce

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