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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. row — a line
  5. last — to go on
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. object — to protest
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. current — happening now
  16. row — to paddle
  17. object — a thing
  18. last — finally
  19. dip — to sink
  20. object — an aim
  21. current — of water
  22. last — final
  23. current — electric
  24. sharp — clever

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