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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · branch · row · dip · rush · cold · snap · key

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. row — a line
  4. key — in music
  5. row — to paddle
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cold — an illness
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rush — hurry
  12. key — for a lock
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. branch — a division
  17. snap — to click
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. date — the fruit
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. key — the most important part
  23. dip — to sink
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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