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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: branch · scale · fine · last · hand · leaves · cue · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cue — for pool
  3. fine — all right
  4. cue — a signal
  5. last — finally
  6. hand — help
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fine — high quality
  10. branch — a division
  11. last — to go on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cue — a hint
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. scale — in music
  18. last — final
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. hand — in cards
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. scale — size or range
  24. branch — of a bank

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