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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. clip — to cut
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. net — in sport
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. clip — a video
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. clip — for paper
  17. hand — help
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. rush — hurry
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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