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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. staff — a stick
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. staff — employees
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. ground — the earth
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. staff — employees
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fine — all right
  19. branch — a division
  20. fine — high quality
  21. ground — crushed
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ground — a position

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