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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — in a road
  4. clip — to cut
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. clip — a video
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — a division
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. branch — of a bank

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