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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. plane — a tool
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. branch — a division
  7. key — in music
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. kid — to tease
  12. key — for a lock
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. kid — child
  22. key — the most important part
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wave — of the sea

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