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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: pound · mark · date · branch · dip · spring · mate · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. spring — the season
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mate — to breed
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. spring — of water
  14. branch — a division
  15. spring — a coil
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. dip — to sink
  19. date — the fruit
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. mark — a grade
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mate — a friend

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