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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. suit — clothes
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. spell — letters
  9. suit — to fit
  10. stock — goods
  11. spell — a short time
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spell — magic
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. file — a tool
  16. shower — to wash
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stock — shares
  21. suit — in cards
  22. branch — a division
  23. shower — rain
  24. dip — to sink

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