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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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pit — a hole
  5. land — ground
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. branch — a division
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hand — help
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mark — a trace
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wake — a trail
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. land — to come down
  19. hand — in cards
  20. land — a country
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mark — a grade

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