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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 120 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 is an ace ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. branch — a division
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. dip — to sink
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bore — to tire
  15. field — farmland
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. field — a subject
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. field — for sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bore — to drill

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