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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fine — all right
  3. field — for sport
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bear — the animal
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. field — a subject
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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