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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lean — to bend
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lean — thin
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. craft — a skill
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cold — an illness
  20. can — a tin
  21. craft — boats
  22. branch — a division
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. saw — the tool

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