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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. charge — in control
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. charge — electricity
  9. branch — a division
  10. fall — to drop
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fall — the season
  13. wake — a trail
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. net — for catching
  18. charge — a price
  19. date — the fruit
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. net — in sport
  24. fall — to drop

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