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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: firm · march · last · kid · mouse · wave · face · branch

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. march — music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kid — child
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. branch — a division
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. march — the month
  13. firm — a company
  14. face — part of the head
  15. march — the month
  16. last — final
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. firm — decided
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. firm — steady

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