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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bound — tied together
  3. dip — to sink
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bound — certain
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. rule — government
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rule — a law
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bound — obliged
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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