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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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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. chest — a box
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. mug — a face
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. root — of a word
  17. rest — a break
  18. chest — of your body
  19. drill — army training
  20. rest — what's left
  21. drill — a practice
  22. branch — a division
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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