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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: branch · pop · wind · bat · mark · dip · stem · hand

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to sink
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. branch — a division
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pop — soda
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bat — the animal
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. pop — music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wind — moving air

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