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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. branch — a division
  3. fall — the season
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. object — to protest
  6. court — of law
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. object — a thing
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. plane — a tool
  22. object — an aim
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. tear — from crying

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