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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. field — a subject
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stock — goods
  5. club — a group
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. club — for dancing
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. season — in sport
  12. swing — music
  13. field — for sport
  14. club — for golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. field — farmland
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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