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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rest — a break
  5. last — final
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — to fit
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. last — finally
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. stem — to come from
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. branch — a division
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. squash — to crush
  20. band — a ring
  21. last — to go on
  22. squash — the sport
  23. band — a music group
  24. stem — a stem cell

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