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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kick — in football
  4. fall — the season
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rash — a series
  15. branch — a division
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. fall — to drop
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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