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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 120 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: rest · band · rash · kick · court · root · hide · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rash — a series
  3. rush — hurry
  4. root — of a word
  5. court — of a king
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rest — a break
  11. court — for sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. court — of law
  14. kick — in football
  15. band — a music group
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. band — a ring
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. band — a rubber band

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