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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cap — a lid
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. capital — money
  6. dip — to sink
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. track — a song
  12. capital — a city
  13. branch — a division
  14. rest — what's left
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. track — a path
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rest — a break
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mouse — for a computer

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