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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: mark · rush · branch · firm · trunk · net · rest · wound

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mark — a grade
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. firm — decided
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. net — in sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. firm — steady
  14. net — after costs
  15. rest — a break
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. branch — a division
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. net — for catching

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