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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. branch — a division
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. suit — to fit
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cold — an illness
  11. deal — to handle
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. row — a line
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. row — to paddle

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