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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mark — a grade
  4. present — there
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bat — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. present — the time now
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fall — to drop
  15. branch — a division
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. season — in sport
  22. mark — a trace
  23. season — of the year
  24. mark — to pay attention

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