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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. last — final
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. ground — a position

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