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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: stock · wind · fall · branch · march · mate · present · dip

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. march — music
  3. stock — shares
  4. march — the month
  5. wind — moving air
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stock — goods
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. present — the time now
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wind — moving air
  15. present — a gift
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fall — the season
  19. present — there
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. march — the month
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. branch — a division

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