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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. branch — a division
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. face — part of the head
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mark — a trace
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — after costs
  12. face — to confront
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. net — for catching
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. net — in sport
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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