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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hand — help
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. key — in music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. last — final
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hand — in cards
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. key — for a lock
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fine — all right
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. branch — a division

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