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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. last — finally
  10. hand — in cards
  11. branch — a division
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hand — help
  14. mate — a friend
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bear — the animal
  18. toast — bread
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bear — the animal
  22. last — final
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bear — to put up with

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