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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. branch — a division
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a line of people
  7. scale — in music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — of the year
  10. tube — the underground
  11. file — a tool
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. season — in sport
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. tube — a container
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. file — a document
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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