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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. scale — size or range
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pop — to visit
  14. sharp — clever
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. branch — a division
  21. scale — in music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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