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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. stock — goods
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. dip — to sink
  10. band — a ring
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. clip — a video
  17. branch — a division
  18. stock — shares
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. branch — of a bank

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