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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mug — a face
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rush — hurry
  9. branch — a division
  10. race — a contest
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. race — the arms race
  15. tear — from crying
  16. root — of a plant
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. root — of a word
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. race — humankind
  23. root — the cause
  24. mug — a cup

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