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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bank — of a river
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bore — to tire
  8. branch — a division
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chair — a leader
  14. last — finally
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mug — a face
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bank — for money
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mug — a cup
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bank — for money
  24. degree — an amount

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