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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: pass · squash · branch · wind · cabinet · rest · last · safe

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. branch — a division
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. last — to go on
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rest — a break
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. squash — the sport
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rest — what's left
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. last — final
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wind — moving air
  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