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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 116 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: branch · last · snap · lie · saw · club · trunk · land

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. last — to go on
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lie — to recline
  7. branch — a division
  8. club — a group
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. last — final
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. saw — the tool
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. club — for dancing
  19. land — a country
  20. club — for golf
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. last — finally
  23. snap — to click
  24. lie — an untruth

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