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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: pound · rash · branch · plane · last · present · staff · rush

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. present — a gift
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. staff — employees
  15. pound — a weight
  16. staff — employees
  17. last — finally
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. present — there
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. present — the time now
  23. rash — a series
  24. staff — a stick

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