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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 116 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. ball — a great time
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. branch — a division
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. ball — a dance
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. band — a ring
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bound — certain
  22. dip — to sink
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. band — a music group

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