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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. root — of a word
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — in music
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pit — in a race
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cold — an illness
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pit — a hole
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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