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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cap — a hat
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. branch — a division
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. snap — to click
  12. dip — to sink
  13. lean — thin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lean — to bend
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cap — of ice

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