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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. swing — music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stem — to come from
  16. lie — to recline
  17. swing — to play on
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lash — an eyelash

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