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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: dip · stick · march · current · branch · fall · squash · net

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. current — electric
  4. dip — to sink
  5. net — in sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. net — for catching
  11. branch — a division
  12. fall — to drop
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. net — after costs
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fall — to drop
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fall — the season
  23. march — the month
  24. branch — of a tree

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