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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. branch — a division
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bear — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. last — finally
  13. chair — a leader
  14. net — for catching
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. net — in sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — in sport
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bear — the animal
  23. net — after costs
  24. branch — of a tree

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