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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. spell — magic
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fork — in a road
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bass — the fish
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. branch — a division
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. band — a music group
  18. spell — letters
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. spell — a short time
  23. band — a ring
  24. rock — a stone

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