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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bark — to shout
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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