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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mine — for digging
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. branch — a division
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. spring — of water
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mark — a trace

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