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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 116 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bank — of a river
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. capital — a city
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. branch — a division
  15. bank — for money
  16. wake — a trail
  17. capital — money
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bank — for money

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