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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · spring · cabinet · kick · branch · pass · ground · pitcher

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ground — crushed
  7. spring — a coil
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kick — in football
  12. spring — the season
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ground — a position
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spring — of water

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