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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. present — a gift
  6. mate — a partner
  7. can — a tin
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. present — the time now
  12. tube — a container
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mate — a friend
  15. tube — the underground
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. present — there
  18. can — a tin
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wake — a trail
  23. branch — a division
  24. fall — the season

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