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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 124 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. branch — a division
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. can — a tin
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. content — the amount
  9. mug — to rob
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bark — to shout
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. dip — to sink
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. can — a tin
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mug — a cup
  20. can — to be able to
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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