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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. toast — bread
  3. spring — of water
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. suit — to fit
  10. craft — boats
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bat — the animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. spring — the season
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — clothes
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. craft — a skill
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. craft — a handicraft

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