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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. field — a subject
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bound — obliged
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. game — a match
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. field — farmland
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. content — the amount
  17. bound — certain
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. game — wild animals
  20. field — for sport
  21. content — happy
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bound — tied together

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