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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. snap — to click
  4. last — to go on
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. last — final
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fine — high quality
  15. row — to paddle
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. branch — a division
  19. last — finally
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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