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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mark — a trace
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. tear — to rip
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mine — for digging
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. branch — a division

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