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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mate — to breed
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rule — a law
  10. wake — a trail
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. present — a gift
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. face — to confront
  16. present — the time now
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rule — government
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. present — there
  23. face — part of the head
  24. prune — to trim

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