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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: lie · scale · net · stock · branch · dip · kid · staff

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. stock — goods
  3. branch — a division
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. net — for catching
  10. staff — employees
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. kid — child
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. staff — a stick
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — size or range
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. net — after costs
  22. scale — in music
  23. net — in sport
  24. stock — shares

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