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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 · bore · last · key · squash · rush · snap · leaves

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. squash — to crush
  7. key — the most important part
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. branch — a division
  10. last — finally
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. snap — to click
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bore — to drill
  17. key — for a lock
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rush — hurry
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. last — to go on
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. key — in music

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