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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
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: season · straw · branch · last · plane · pit · arm · nail

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. last — final
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pit — a hole
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. season — in sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pit — in a race
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. season — of the year
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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