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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. branch — a division
  3. mug — a cup
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lean — to bend
  7. field — a subject
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. field — farmland
  10. mug — to rob
  11. lean — thin
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mug — a face
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bank — for money
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. field — for sport
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lean — to rest against

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