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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: rush · lean · branch · bat · roll · fine · land · staff

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — ground
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. land — a country
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lean — thin
  10. roll — a list
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. roll — a cake
  20. lean — to bend
  21. staff — employees
  22. fine — high quality
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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