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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: game · safe · rule · branch · rush · patient · squash · net

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rule — a law
  4. rush — hurry
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. squash — to crush
  8. branch — a division
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. net — after costs
  13. squash — the sport
  14. game — a match
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rule — government
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rule — to rule out

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