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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 120 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: stock · dip · mine · ball · scale · mouse · branch · patient

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. branch — a division
  3. stock — shares
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stock — goods
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. ball — a great time
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. patient — a sick person
  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