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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wake — a trail
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. club — for golf
  7. root — the cause
  8. club — for dancing
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. band — a music group
  12. content — the amount
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. deal — to handle
  19. club — a group
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. band — a ring
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. branch — a division

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