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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. land — to come down
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. land — ground
  12. kid — child
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — a division
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pitch — completely
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. land — a country
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. tube — a container

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