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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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Word bank
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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: leaves · bass · craft · last · cold · staff · rash · branch

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. craft — boats
  4. rash — hasty
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. staff — employees
  7. rash — a series
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. last — finally
  11. cold — an illness
  12. last — to go on
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. bass — the fish
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bass — low music
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. craft — a handicraft

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