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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. degree — temperature
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. degree — from a university
  12. branch — a division
  13. court — for sport
  14. lean — to bend
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stem — to come from
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. prune — to trim
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. lean — thin

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