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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: date · press · branch · arm · dip · land · track · row

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. dip — to sink
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. track — to keep track
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. track — a path
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. track — a song
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. press — a publisher
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. row — to paddle
  18. date — the fruit
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. press — to push
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. press — newspapers
  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