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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: branch · mark · stick · kid · spring · rest · drill · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. kid — child
  3. rest — a break
  4. drill — the tool
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mark — a trace
  8. branch — a division
  9. spring — the season
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — a practice
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. spring — of water
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mark — a grade
  24. drill — army training

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