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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pit — in a race
  3. track — a path
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wake — a trail
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. branch — a division
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. plane — a tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. season — of the year
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. season — in sport
  18. track — a song
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. snap — to click

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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