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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bark · pass · bay · plane · chip · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spring — of water
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. plane — a tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. spring — the season
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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