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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rule — a law
  13. cell — a phone
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — in sport
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rule — government
  22. branch — a division
  23. cell — in biology
  24. season — of the year

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