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

Word bank: branch · bay · chest · wake · leaves · fine · arm · cold

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. branch — a division
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chest — a box
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fine — high quality
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cold — an illness
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. fine — all right

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