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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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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lie — to recline
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. staff — employees
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — employees
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. race — humankind
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. squash — the sport
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. staff — a stick

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