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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. swing — to play on
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — a division
  7. tube — a container
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. toast — bread
  13. tear — to rip
  14. charge — in control
  15. swing — music
  16. charge — a price
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. charge — electricity
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. dip — to sink
  22. swing — in golf
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. tube — the underground

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