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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: object · rest · bear · branch · leaves · wake · row · kick

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. object — to protest
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. object — a thing
  14. rest — a break
  15. kick — in football
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. object — an aim
  19. row — a line
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rest — what's left
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rest — what's left
  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