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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. squash — the sport
  7. branch — a division
  8. press — newspapers
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. press — a publisher
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. press — to push
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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