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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. staff — employees
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. branch — a division
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pit — a hole
  16. staff — employees
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. staff — a stick
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. branch — of a tree

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