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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — a division
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. content — the amount
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. content — happy
  19. object — to protest
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pitch — completely
  24. dip — to sink

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