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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. branch — a division
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. season — of the year
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stock — goods
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. season — in sport
  13. dip — to sink
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. root — of a word
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rash — a series
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. root — the cause

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