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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cold — an illness
  5. court — for sport
  6. hand — in cards
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of a king
  10. cold — not warm
  11. lean — thin
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fine — high quality
  16. court — of law
  17. fine — all right
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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