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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 · mug · cap · tube · row · rush · cell · wound

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. tube — a container
  12. mug — to rob
  13. row — a line
  14. mug — a face
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mug — a cup
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cell — a phone
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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