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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. track — a song
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. march — music
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. march — the month
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — in sport
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. track — to keep track
  22. branch — a division
  23. march — the month
  24. track — a path

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