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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. lean — to bend
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wake — a trail
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. branch — a division
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lean — thin

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