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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tube — a container
  3. spring — of water
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mate — a friend
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — a division
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mate — to breed
  16. perch — the fish
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mate — a partner
  24. current — electric

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