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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. squash — to crush
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. squash — the sport
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. season — of the year
  8. plane — a tool
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pop — music
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. season — in sport
  14. rash — a series
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. race — humankind
  21. branch — a division
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. race — a contest
  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