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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. branch — a division
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. key — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. current — electric
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — to crush
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. current — of water
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. squash — the sport
  22. current — happening now
  23. kid — to tease
  24. march — music

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