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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bank — of a river
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bank — for money
  8. branch — a division
  9. season — in sport
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pop — to visit
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pop — music
  14. bank — for money
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. season — of the year
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pop — soda
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. branch — of a bank

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