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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. saw — the tool
  3. dip — to sink
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bark — to shout
  7. last — to go on
  8. clip — to cut
  9. saw — the tool
  10. clip — for paper
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. last — finally
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. clip — a video
  16. last — final
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. branch — a division
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a face

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