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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. last — finally
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rock — music
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. last — to go on
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rock — a stone
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tube — the underground
  18. branch — a division
  19. last — final
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wake — before a funeral

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