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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. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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. last — to go on
  4. object — a thing
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. last — finally
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. craft — boats
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pound — a weight
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. object — to protest
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. object — an aim
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. last — final

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