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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pit — a hole
  3. land — to come down
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bank — of a river
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mark — a grade
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. land — a country
  12. bank — for money
  13. snap — to click
  14. land — ground
  15. branch — a division
  16. mate — a partner
  17. file — a tool
  18. mate — to breed
  19. file — a document
  20. pit — in a race
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bank — for money

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