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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: coach · calf · prune · branch · date · lie · dip · stock

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. stock — goods
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stock — shares
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. lie — to recline
  24. date — the fruit

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