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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wake — a trail
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. hand — help
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. branch — a division
  13. hand — in cards
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. key — for a lock
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. degree — an amount
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. hand — part of the body

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