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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rock — music
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. branch — a division
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. hand — help
  12. rock — a stone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stem — to come from

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