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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 116 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: fan · last · branch · stick · wound · sharp · snap · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. branch — a division
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. last — finally
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mate — a friend
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. last — to go on
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. snap — to click
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. sharp — clever
  24. last — final

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