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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 124 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. shower — to wash
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. swing — in golf
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. race — humankind
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. snap — to click
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. foot — a measure
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. race — a contest
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. race — the arms race
  21. shower — rain
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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