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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fine — all right
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pop — music
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fine — high quality
  15. dip — to sink
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pit — a hole
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pop — soda
  23. branch — a division
  24. pop — to visit

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