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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. branch — a division
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. court — of a king
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pound — a weight
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rest — what's left
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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