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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wind — moving air
  3. last — finally
  4. present — a gift
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. spring — of water
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wind — moving air
  12. can — a tin
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. present — the time now
  19. last — final
  20. branch — a division
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — to go on
  23. bass — the fish
  24. leaves — to go away

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