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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: kid · rash · jam · rush · lean · branch · game · bowl

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. game — a match
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rash — hasty
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rush — hurry
  9. kid — to tease
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. branch — a division
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. kid — child
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rash — a series
  22. lean — thin
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. jam — in traffic

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