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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: branch · bound · wake · last · arm · fan · snap · board

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. board — a committee
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. last — final
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. last — finally
  12. board — to get on
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. snap — to click
  21. wake — a trail
  22. last — to go on
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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