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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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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: bear · fall · dip · wake · squash · rash · rule · branch

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. branch — a division
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. squash — the sport
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fall — the season
  10. rash — a series
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fall — to drop
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rule — a law
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. rule — government
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rash — on the skin

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