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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rest — a break
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. land — to come down
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. branch — a division
  24. snap — to click

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