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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. rest — a break
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kid — child
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. branch — a division
  10. capital — money
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rest — what's left
  13. snap — to click
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. capital — a city
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  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