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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. can — a tin
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spring — the season
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. spring — a coil
  11. face — to point toward
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cap — of ice
  14. spring — of water
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. can — a tin
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. branch — a division
  23. face — to confront
  24. can — to be able to

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