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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. last — final
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. spring — a coil
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. branch — a division
  10. toast — bread
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. spring — of water
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. sharp — clever
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. spring — the season
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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