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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rest — a break
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. can — a tin
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bark — to shout
  14. branch — a division
  15. fall — the season
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pop — music
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pop — soda
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. can — a tin

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