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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. chip — to eat
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. suit — in cards
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. content — happy
  10. spring — the season
  11. content — the amount
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. spring — of water
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bat — the animal
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. suit — to fit

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