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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fork — in a road
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. saw — the tool
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bat — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. face — part of the head
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bound — certain
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. lash — an eyelash

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