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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 120 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: rush · chest · stick · race · net · squash · track · branch

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. race — a contest
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. squash — the sport
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. net — after costs
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. track — to keep track
  12. branch — a division
  13. net — for catching
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chest — a box
  16. net — in sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. race — the arms race
  19. squash — to crush
  20. chest — of your body
  21. track — a song
  22. race — humankind
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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