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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fine — all right
  3. spring — of water
  4. fine — high quality
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. mug — to rob
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. spring — the season
  18. mug — a face
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. dip — to sink
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. branch — a division
  24. nail — for a hammer

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