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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. snap — to click
  7. dip — to sink
  8. foot — a measure
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. lie — to recline
  19. squash — the sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. foot — part of the body
  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