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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. branch — a division
  5. cell — a phone
  6. saw — the tool
  7. object — to protest
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cell — in biology
  12. swing — music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. object — a thing
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. object — an aim
  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