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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · dip · fall · lean · mouse · branch · bark · date

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fall — the season
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bark — to shout
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. lean — thin
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fall — to drop
  19. branch — a division
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wound — an injury
  24. date — on the calendar

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