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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 116 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: cold · pound · wax · rush · hide · branch · firm · spring

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. spring — a coil
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. firm — decided
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cold — not warm
  11. branch — a division
  12. firm — a company
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spring — of water
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. firm — steady
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spring — the season
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cold — an illness

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