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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. last — final
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. last — to go on
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. last — finally
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. plane — a tool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. kick — in football
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rule — a law
  19. mine — for digging
  20. branch — a division
  21. lean — thin
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. lean — to rest against

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