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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · bowl · leaves · rest · rule · branch · nail · last

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. branch — a division
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rule — government
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rule — a law
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. last — to go on
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. last — final
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. last — finally

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