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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fine — all right
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mug — a cup
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. branch — a division
  12. cap — of ice
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mug — a face
  15. mark — a trace
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mug — to rob
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fine — high quality
  24. shower — rain

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