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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: branch · bulb · rash · arm · bound · mine · sharp · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. last — finally
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bound — certain
  13. branch — a division
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rash — a series
  18. bulb — for light
  19. sharp — clever
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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