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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. saw — the tool
  9. deal — to handle
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. capital — a city
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. saw — the tool
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. dip — to sink
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. prune — to trim
  22. capital — money
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. branch — a division

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