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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. branch — a division
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mate — a friend
  9. staff — employees
  10. mate — a partner
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cold — not warm
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cold — an illness
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. mate — to breed
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. staff — employees
  24. wake — before a funeral

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