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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. last — finally
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. last — to go on
  8. fall — the season
  9. branch — a division
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bark — to shout
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bark — of a tree

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