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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: net · sharp · fine · mate · wound · last · rock · branch

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fine — all right
  4. last — finally
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. net — after costs
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rock — music
  11. mate — to breed
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — for catching
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — in sport
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rock — a stone
  24. branch — a division

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