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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. dip — to sink
  3. field — farmland
  4. suit — to fit
  5. field — a subject
  6. suit — in cards
  7. branch — a division
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. hand — help
  10. rash — hasty
  11. saw — the tool
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pop — to visit
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. field — for sport
  17. hand — in cards
  18. suit — clothes
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pop — soda
  21. rash — a series
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pop — music
  24. saw — the tool

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