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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rash — a series
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. ground — a position
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. branch — a division
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — music
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. march — the month
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ground — crushed
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. season — of the year
  22. march — the month
  23. fan — a supporter
  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