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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: rest · mate · shower · branch · last · rash · court · bay

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mate — to breed
  3. court — of a king
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. court — for sport
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. shower — rain
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — to go on
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mate — a friend
  16. last — finally
  17. branch — a division
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. court — of law
  22. rash — hasty
  23. last — final
  24. rash — on the skin

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