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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rash — hasty
  8. track — a song
  9. race — humankind
  10. track — a path
  11. band — a ring
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — to keep track
  14. lie — to recline
  15. race — a contest
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. race — the arms race
  21. branch — a division
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. band — a music group

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