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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. object — a thing
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a ring
  10. bear — the animal
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. band — a music group
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. branch — a division
  18. wind — moving air
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. snap — to click
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. dip — to sink

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