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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. club — a group
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. capital — money
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. stock — goods
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bark — to shout
  12. dip — to sink
  13. club — for golf
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. capital — a city
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rush — hurry

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