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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chair — a leader
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bat — the animal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. clip — a video
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. dip — to sink
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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