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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: last · fork · bound · deal · chip · mate · branch · content

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. content — the amount
  3. last — to go on
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bound — tied together
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. last — finally
  11. fork — in a road
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. chip — for betting
  17. deal — to handle
  18. content — happy
  19. mate — a friend
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bound — certain

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