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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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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. branch — a division
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wake — a trail
  5. charge — in control
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. charge — a price
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. track — a path
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — for digging
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wound — an injury

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