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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. net — for catching
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. net — after costs
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bark — to shout
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. kick — in football
  20. net — in sport
  21. scale — in music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. coach — a trainer

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