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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: ground · row · last · branch · toast · bark · fall · cue

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. toast — bread
  5. last — to go on
  6. ground — a position
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. branch — a division
  9. last — finally
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cue — for pool
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bark — to shout
  18. fall — the season
  19. row — a line
  20. cue — a signal
  21. last — final
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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