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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. branch — a division
  6. spell — magic
  7. date — the fruit
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. spell — letters
  12. snap — to click
  13. row — a line
  14. stem — to come from
  15. spell — a short time
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. row — to paddle

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