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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. date — the fruit
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. press — to push
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. dip — to sink
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pound — a weight
  12. branch — a division
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. press — newspapers
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. saw — the tool
  19. press — a publisher
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. plane — a tool
  24. branch — of a tree

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