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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mug — a face
  6. last — to go on
  7. mug — to rob
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. last — finally
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pound — to hit hard

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