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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 120 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: staff · rash · branch · bat · rush · chip · racket · tube

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. staff — employees
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. branch — a division
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rash — a series
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. staff — a stick
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. tube — a container
  24. racket — for tennis

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