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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fall — the season
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. net — for catching
  7. mate — to breed
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fork — in a road
  11. branch — a division
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. fall — to drop
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — a partner
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. last — finally
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mark — a grade

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