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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. face — part of the head
  3. capital — money
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. branch — a division
  9. capital — a city
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mark — a grade
  12. face — to confront
  13. mate — to breed
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mate — a friend
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pass — a permit

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