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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: bound · temple · branch · rest · calf · last · snap · leaves

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. last — to go on
  4. bound — tied together
  5. snap — to click
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. last — finally
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bound — obliged
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. last — final
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rest — what's left
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rest — what's left
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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