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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. roll — a list
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. spring — of water
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. kid — child
  17. branch — a division
  18. roll — a cake
  19. kid — to tease
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. spring — the season
  22. saw — the tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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