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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. mate — a partner
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. branch — a division
  5. game — wild animals
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. court — of law
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. court — of a king
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. court — for sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. face — to confront
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. game — a match
  22. mate — to breed
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mate — a friend

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