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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: branch · rush · hand · tube · trunk · deal · wind · ball

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hand — help
  4. wind — moving air
  5. branch — a division
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ball — a dance
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. tube — a container
  11. hand — in cards
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rush — hurry
  18. deal — to handle
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wind — to turn a key

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