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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: swing · mark · dip · roll · branch · stock · date · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stock — shares
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stock — goods
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mark — a trace
  11. swing — music
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mark — a grade
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. swing — in golf
  22. key — in music
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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