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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. track — to keep track
  4. season — in sport
  5. spell — letters
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. branch — a division
  10. track — a path
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. track — a song
  13. spell — magic
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. hand — in cards
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hand — help
  24. mouse — for a computer

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