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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. pitch — completely
  3. staff — employees
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. clip — for paper
  6. can — a tin
  7. branch — a division
  8. club — for golf
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. staff — employees
  12. clip — a video
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. club — for dancing
  15. can — to be able to
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cold — not warm
  18. clip — to cut
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. club — a group
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. can — a tin
  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