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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bank — for money
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. last — final
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ground — crushed
  9. track — a path
  10. bank — for money
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mug — a face
  13. ground — a position
  14. bank — of a river
  15. branch — a division
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — to rob
  20. march — music
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mug — a cup
  23. last — to go on
  24. march — the month

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