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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rash — hasty
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. scale — size or range
  7. plane — a tool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. hand — help
  11. last — finally
  12. rush — hurry
  13. scale — in music
  14. present — there
  15. last — to go on
  16. branch — a division
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rash — a series
  20. hand — in cards
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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