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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · staff · branch · kick · last · net

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. kick — in football
  3. content — happy
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. content — the amount
  9. staff — a stick
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. last — finally
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. net — for catching
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. net — after costs
  16. staff — employees
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. net — in sport

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