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

Word bank: tear · branch · bank · rest · cue · net · last · date

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. last — final
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bank — for money
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cue — for pool
  8. net — for catching
  9. last — to go on
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. net — in sport
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — after costs
  16. bank — for money
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rest — a break
  19. tear — from crying
  20. last — finally
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bank — of a river
  24. branch — a division

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