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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. stock — goods
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mark — a grade
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. field — a subject
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. branch — a division
  16. stock — shares
  17. mark — a trace
  18. dip — a sauce

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