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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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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 ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. spring — the season
  6. rest — a break
  7. spring — a coil
  8. board — to get on
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ground — the earth
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. ground — crushed
  16. board — a committee
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ground — a position
  20. branch — a division
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spring — of water
  24. rock — music

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