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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. scale — in music
  8. squash — to crush
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — electric
  12. dip — to sink
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. current — happening now
  21. branch — a division
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. current — of water

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