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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. lie — to recline
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — a division
  11. bound — certain
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rash — a series
  15. last — to go on
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bound — tied together
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bound — obliged
  24. temple — side of the head

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