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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cold — an illness
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. branch — a division
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cold — not warm
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. dip — to sink
  24. chair — a leader

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