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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wake — a trail
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. dip — to sink
  7. branch — a division
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. game — a match
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pound — a weight
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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