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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. dip — to sink
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. march — the month
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. file — a tool
  14. march — music
  15. file — a document
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. season — in sport
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. march — the month
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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