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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 116 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: track · branch · wave · stock · dip · degree · land · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. land — to come down
  6. dip — to sink
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. stock — goods
  10. degree — from a university
  11. land — ground
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. land — a country
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. wound — an injury
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — a path
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stock — shares
  23. wound — an injury
  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