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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: cold · cue · last · safe · net · branch · pitcher · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. last — to go on
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cold — not warm
  7. branch — a division
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. net — after costs
  11. rash — a series
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — finally
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cue — a hint
  17. last — final
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cold — an illness
  21. net — for catching
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rash — on the skin

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