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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. net — for catching
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. branch — a division
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — after costs
  8. present — a gift
  9. fall — the season
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — to drop
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. present — there
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. present — the time now
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. branch — of a bank

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