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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
468
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: wake · pit · rush · spell · racket · pop · ground · branch

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. spell — magic
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rush — hurry
  5. ground — crushed
  6. spell — letters
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wake — a trail
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. ground — the earth
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pit — in a race
  17. branch — a division
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. ground — a position
  21. pop — music
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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