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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bank — for money
  5. spell — letters
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. firm — steady
  9. spell — magic
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bank — of a river
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. bank — for money
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mate — to breed
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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