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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. scale — in music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. march — music
  7. press — to push
  8. march — the month
  9. branch — a division
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. scale — size or range
  12. march — the month
  13. bound — tied together
  14. press — a publisher
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. press — newspapers
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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