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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · mate · branch · fall · file · pop · trunk · wake

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pop — to visit
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fall — the season
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fall — to drop
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mate — a partner
  15. file — a line of people
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. file — a document
  18. wake — a trail
  19. file — a tool
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. branch — a division
  23. fall — to drop
  24. swing — to play on

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