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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rush — hurry
  4. branch — a division
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. track — a song
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pound — a weight
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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