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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. march — the month
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bank — for money
  5. lie — to recline
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — in biology
  8. snap — to click
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. band — a ring
  11. march — music
  12. band — a music group
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cell — a phone
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bank — for money

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