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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. swing — to play on
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. present — a gift
  8. bear — the animal
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. present — there
  13. branch — a division
  14. swing — music
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hand — in cards
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rash — a series
  20. hand — help
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. swing — in golf

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