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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rush — hurry
  5. charge — electricity
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. charge — a price
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bore — to drill
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bore — to tire
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rash — a series
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. branch — a division
  20. charge — in control
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. net — after costs
  24. dip — to dunk

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