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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. season — of the year
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. branch — a division
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. suit — to fit
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bark — to shout
  13. hand — help
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. suit — clothes
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. season — in sport
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. hand — in cards

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