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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bank — for money
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pop — soda
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bank — for money
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pop — music

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