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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. branch — a division
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. roll — a list
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pop — soda
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. fine — all right
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pop — music
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wind — moving air

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