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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. club — a group
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. club — for golf
  9. bear — the animal
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — to rip
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bear — the animal
  16. club — for dancing
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lean — thin
  23. branch — a division
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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