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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. branch — a division
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pit — in a race
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pit — a hole
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. row — a line
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. roll — a list
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. squash — the vegetable

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