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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. branch — a division
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. hand — help
  6. field — a subject
  7. drill — army training
  8. hand — in cards
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. field — for sport
  13. drill — the tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pass — a permit
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. drill — a practice
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. field — farmland

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