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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. board — a committee
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. board — to get on
  5. lie — to recline
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. last — final
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. branch — of a tree

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