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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: mate · wake · bear · wound · date · spell · plane · branch

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mate — to breed
  8. plane — a tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wound — an injury
  11. date — the fruit
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — magic
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spell — letters
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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