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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. dip — to sink
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tube — a container
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. land — ground
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. squash — to crush
  14. branch — a division
  15. wake — a trail
  16. land — to come down
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tube — the underground
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. land — a country
  24. squash — the sport

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