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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.

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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: bay · branch · bark · last · lean · rash · cold · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. last — finally
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. lean — thin
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. branch — a division
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. last — to go on
  18. rash — a series
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. branch — of a bank
  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