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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — a division
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bark — to shout
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bat — the animal
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. snap — to click
  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