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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: arm · pound · saw · mine · branch · stem · safe · last

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. last — final
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. last — finally
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mine — for digging
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pound — a weight
  15. last — to go on
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. safe — out of danger

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