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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 · last · row · land · chair · rule · temple · pit

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. land — to come down
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. last — finally
  9. branch — a division
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. land — a country
  13. row — to paddle
  14. last — final
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. chair — a leader
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. land — ground
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. row — a line
  24. rule — a law

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