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

Word bank: bay · mine · fall · rush · branch · current · wake · dip

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fall — to drop
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. current — electric
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fall — the season
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. branch — a division
  24. wake — before a funeral

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