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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: branch · spring · land · lie · mouse · row · dip · cap

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cap — of ice
  3. branch — a division
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. lie — to recline
  6. land — ground
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. dip — to sink
  9. row — a line
  10. spring — a coil
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. land — to come down
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cap — a hat
  19. land — a country
  20. cap — a lid
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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