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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. land — a country
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. land — to come down
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mate — to breed
  9. tear — to rip
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. track — a song
  12. foot — a measure
  13. land — ground
  14. branch — a division
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wake — a trail
  21. track — a path
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mate — a partner

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