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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. land — to come down
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. land — a country
  16. branch — a division
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — ground
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. chest — of your body

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