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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: craft · mate · date · wake · perch · race · branch · roll

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. roll — a list
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. race — humankind
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wake — a trail
  15. race — a contest
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. branch — a division
  18. mate — a friend
  19. date — the fruit
  20. craft — boats
  21. roll — a cake
  22. race — the arms race
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. craft — a skill

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