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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. can — a tin
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bank — for money
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. field — a subject
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. field — farmland
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bank — for money
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rash — hasty
  17. branch — a division
  18. field — for sport
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rash — a series
  24. lash — to lash out

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