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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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Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pop — music
  7. clip — for paper
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. scale — in music
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. clip — a video
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. branch — a division
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wound — an injury

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