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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · dip · can · bark · object · mug · face · branch

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mug — to rob
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mug — a face
  6. face — to confront
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. wind — moving air
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. face — to point toward
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. object — an aim
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. branch — a division
  24. wind — moving air

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