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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wake — a trail
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. ground — crushed
  6. snap — to click
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pit — a hole
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mug — a face
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. branch — a division
  14. ground — a position
  15. lean — to bend
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lean — thin
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mug — a cup
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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