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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: wake · current · branch · mark · prune · march · shower · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. prune — to trim
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. march — the month
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. prune — to trim
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. march — music
  17. current — of water
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. shower — rain
  20. current — happening now
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mark — a trace
  24. current — electric

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