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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. key — in music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. spell — letters
  9. season — of the year
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. row — to paddle
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — the most important part
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. season — in sport

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