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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: dip · bat · rush · suit · pop · object · branch · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pop — to visit
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. suit — clothes
  10. object — to protest
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — a division
  13. suit — to fit
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mark — a trace

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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