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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: snap · branch · hide · file · dip · date · pitch · fall

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. snap — to click
  5. dip — to sink
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. file — a line of people
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fall — to drop
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fall — to drop
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. file — a document
  19. fall — the season
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. date — on the calendar

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