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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: jam · mark · land · rush · leaves · kid · fine · branch

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. land — to come down
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rush — hurry
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. land — ground
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mark — a grade
  15. land — a country
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. fine — all right
  20. kid — child
  21. branch — a division
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mark — a trace

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