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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: roll · branch · net · hide · mate · date · wake · dip

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mate — to breed
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. net — in sport
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. roll — a cake
  13. date — the fruit
  14. roll — a list
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wake — a trail
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mate — a friend
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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