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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: safe · branch · leaves · march · pop · bear · mug · last

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bear — the animal
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pop — music
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mug — a face
  9. last — final
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. march — the month
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. last — to go on
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. mug — to rob
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. march — music
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pop — soda
  20. bear — the animal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — finally
  23. mug — a cup
  24. march — the month

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