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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. branch — a division
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tube — the underground
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. scale — size or range
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. tube — a container
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. roll — a list
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. scale — in music
  24. pound — a weight

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