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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stock — shares
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. file — a tool
  9. stock — goods
  10. spell — letters
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. file — a document
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spell — magic
  22. file — a line of people
  23. land — a country
  24. wake — before a funeral

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