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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. last — finally
  4. date — the fruit
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. tear — from crying
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cell — a phone
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. club — a group
  15. cell — in biology
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. last — final
  20. club — for golf
  21. tear — to rip
  22. branch — a division
  23. club — for dancing
  24. spell — magic

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