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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cell — a phone
  5. board — to get on
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. club — for golf
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cell — in biology
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. board — a committee
  21. club — for dancing
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — a group

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