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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: mouse · leaves · season · branch · pass · bark · cell · game

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pass — a permit
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cell — in biology
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. season — in sport
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. game — a match
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pass — to spend time

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