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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: pit · track · object · plane · tear · rest · last · branch

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rest — a break
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pit — a hole
  5. object — to protest
  6. pit — in a race
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. track — a path
  13. tear — from crying
  14. track — a song
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. last — finally
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. object — an aim
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. object — a thing
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. last — final

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