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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: snap · leaves · lean · degree · last · branch · date · pit

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pit — a hole
  3. lean — thin
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. degree — from a university
  6. last — finally
  7. pit — in a race
  8. degree — temperature
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. date — the fruit
  12. branch — a division
  13. last — to go on
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. lean — to bend
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. snap — to click
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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