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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 120 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 · hand · track · last · squash · rest · bound · stick

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. track — a song
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rest — a break
  8. track — a path
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — in cards
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bound — certain
  15. last — to go on
  16. branch — a division
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. last — finally
  19. track — to keep track
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. last — final
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. squash — the sport
  24. hand — help

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