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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: date · branch · roll · mate · fall · rush · spell · wake

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. branch — a division
  3. date — the fruit
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. spell — letters
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mate — to breed
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mate — a friend
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. roll — on a roll

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