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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 120 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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 — an eyelash
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. sharp — clever
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. rash — hasty
  10. branch — a division
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. track — a path
  13. tear — to rip
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chair — a leader
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. march — the month
  20. rash — a series
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. track — a song
  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