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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 120 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. dip — to sink
  9. squash — the sport
  10. scale — in music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. can — a tin
  17. squash — to crush
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. scale — size or range
  21. branch — a division
  22. can — to be able to
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. can — a tin

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