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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. root — of a plant
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. club — for golf
  6. rash — hasty
  7. club — a group
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rash — a series
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. root — of a word
  12. branch — a division
  13. root — the cause
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. club — for dancing
  24. clip — for paper

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