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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. board — to get on
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. prune — to trim
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. branch — a division
  16. prune — to trim
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. lash — an eyelash

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