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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rock — music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. rash — a series
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bank — for money
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. net — in sport
  19. bank — for money
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — for catching
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bank — of a river

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