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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rock — a stone
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. rock — music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. march — the month
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bear — the animal
  16. branch — a division
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. mate — to breed
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. branch — of a tree

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