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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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468
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: rock · rash · branch · racket · bore · kick · lean · spell

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. spell — letters
  5. bore — to tire
  6. branch — a division
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spell — a short time
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. kick — in football
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. rock — music
  16. lean — to bend
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. spell — magic
  19. lean — thin
  20. rash — a series
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rock — a stone
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kick — a thrill

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