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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 116 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. charge — a price
  5. rush — hurry
  6. charge — in control
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. track — a path
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. charge — electricity
  13. fall — to drop
  14. track — a song
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fall — the season
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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