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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. track — a song
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. stand — to bear
  5. track — a path
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mate — to breed
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. snap — to click
  18. mate — a friend
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. track — to keep track

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