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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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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: staff · fine · pound · branch · rush · tube · prune · race

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. tube — a container
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tube — the underground
  5. branch — a division
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. staff — employees
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. race — a contest
  12. fine — all right
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. staff — employees
  16. race — humankind
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fine — high quality
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. prune — to trim
  24. race — the arms race

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