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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 116 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cap — a hat
  4. kick — in football
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. hand — help
  7. suit — clothes
  8. branch — a division
  9. suit — in cards
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cap — of ice
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. suit — to fit
  21. wake — a trail
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cap — a lid
  24. hand — part of the body

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