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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: wound · rule · dip · snap · last · bound · mug · branch

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mug — a cup
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wound — an injury
  7. dip — to sink
  8. branch — a division
  9. bound — certain
  10. rule — government
  11. bound — obliged
  12. last — final
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. snap — to click
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rule — a law
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mug — a face
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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