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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: branch · leaves · face · wound · pop · ball · pitcher · wake

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pop — soda
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pop — music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to confront
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. face — part of the head

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