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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · branch · wound · lie · snap · game · tear · leaves

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. last — finally
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. game — a match
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — wild animals
  9. last — to go on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wound — an injury
  15. last — final
  16. lie — to recline
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. snap — to click
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. tear — from crying

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