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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. branch — a division
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. firm — a company
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. branch — of a bank

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