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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. branch — a division
  2. cold — an illness
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mug — a face
  8. lean — thin
  9. prune — to trim
  10. net — after costs
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. cold — not warm
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mug — to rob
  22. lean — to bend
  23. prune — the fruit
  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