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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bear — the animal
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. last — final
  6. ground — a position
  7. pop — soda
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fall — the season
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — the earth
  16. branch — a division
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. last — finally
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ground — crushed
  24. last — to go on

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