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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — a short time
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. band — a ring
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. spring — of water
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spell — letters
  20. march — the month
  21. foot — a measure
  22. spell — magic
  23. branch — a division
  24. march — music

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