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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. net — after costs
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. net — in sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lean — thin
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. last — finally
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. last — to go on
  21. net — for catching
  22. lean — to bend
  23. branch — a division
  24. root — of a word

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