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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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. branch — of a tree
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. file — a tool
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. file — a document
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. branch — a division
  21. rock — music
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rock — a stone

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