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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: mate · branch · bound · last · saw · bore · rush · swing

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bound — certain
  6. branch — a division
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bound — tied together
  11. swing — music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. last — finally
  17. swing — in golf
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. last — final
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. branch — of a bank
  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