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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: foot · pass · chest · cap · wake · mate · branch · wind

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wind — moving air
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cap — a lid
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mate — a partner
  12. branch — a division
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wind — moving air
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. chest — a box
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chest — of your body

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