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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: rush · mine · saw · rock · date · perch · firm · kick

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rush — hurry
  3. firm — steady
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rock — music
  6. firm — a company
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. perch — the fish
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — a stone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kick — in football
  17. firm — decided
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rush — 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