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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wax — to grow
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. sharp — clever
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. branch — a division
  12. last — final
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. drill — army training
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. dip — to sink
  20. drill — the tool
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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