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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: mark · pop · leaves · bay · content · rest · mine · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pop — soda
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rest — a break
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. content — the amount
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. content — happy
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pop — music
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pop — to visit

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