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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. dip — to sink
  24. branch — a division

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