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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: branch · bound · last · rash · land · rest · toast · clip

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. clip — a video
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. bound — obliged
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. last — final
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. branch — a division
  21. rash — hasty
  22. toast — bread
  23. last — to go on
  24. rest — what's left

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