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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 words: he'll be late again.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. field — a subject
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mark — a trace
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bank — for money
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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