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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: wake · band · present · patient · leaves · branch · lie · season

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. season — in sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. present — the time now
  13. band — a ring
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lie — to recline
  18. season — of the year
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. band — a music group
  24. wake — a trail

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