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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. chair — a leader
  7. net — after costs
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rash — a series
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rash — hasty
  13. craft — a skill
  14. net — for catching
  15. ground — the earth
  16. net — in sport
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. craft — boats
  20. ground — a position
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. ground — crushed

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