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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. snap — to click
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. charge — a price
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. tear — from crying
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. charge — electricity
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. tear — to rip
  18. land — to come down
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. land — a country
  21. charge — in control
  22. land — ground
  23. branch — a division
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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