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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. branch — a division
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fork — in a road
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. prune — to trim
  9. object — a thing
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. object — an aim
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mine — for digging
  16. sharp — clever
  17. prune — to trim
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. object — to protest
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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