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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · rash · pit · lean · game · branch · wake · bear

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pit — in a race
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bear — the animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. rash — a series
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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