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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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Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. season — of the year
  5. rule — government
  6. spell — magic
  7. degree — from a university
  8. spell — a short time
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rule — a law
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. spell — letters
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. season — in sport

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