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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. last — final
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fine — all right

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