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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. roll — a list
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. capital — money
  5. branch — a division
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. roll — a cake
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spring — a coil
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. spring — the season
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. charge — in control
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. capital — a city
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. spring — of water
  24. roll — on a roll

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