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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. fork — in a road
  12. press — to push
  13. can — a tin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. can — a tin
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. press — a publisher
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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