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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. band — a music group
  3. season — of the year
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. branch — a division
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. kick — in football
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. band — a ring
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. prune — to trim
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. snap — to click
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — in sport
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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