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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lean — to bend
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. race — humankind
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. lean — thin
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. branch — a division
  20. shower — rain
  21. race — a contest
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. sharp — clever
  24. race — the arms race

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