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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. branch — a division
  3. rule — government
  4. band — a music group
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rule — a law
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mark — a grade
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mark — a trace
  20. foot — a measure
  21. band — a ring
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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