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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rest — a break
  6. shower — rain
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cold — not warm
  11. shower — to wash
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rush — hurry

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