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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: date · kick · branch · mark · cell · club · craft · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. club — for golf
  10. cell — in biology
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. club — a group
  15. rush — hurry
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. branch — a division
  23. kick — in football
  24. club — for dancing

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