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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 120 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 · racket · wave · root · chair · kid · rush · bark

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. kid — to tease
  4. branch — a division
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. root — of a word
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bark — to shout
  22. kid — child
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chair — a leader

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