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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fall — to drop
  9. branch — a division
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fall — the season
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cold — not warm
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. swing — to play on
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. swing — music
  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