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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · branch · bark · stick · pound · rush · date · rash

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rash — a series
  3. pound — a weight
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pound — for dogs

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