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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: deal · scale · cold · net · rash · sharp · branch · mug

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. branch — a division
  3. mug — a face
  4. cold — not warm
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mug — to rob
  10. net — for catching
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. net — after costs
  16. scale — in music
  17. net — in sport
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mug — a cup

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