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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 120 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. mug — a face
  4. band — a ring
  5. net — after costs
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. band — a music group
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mug — to rob
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. staff — employees
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — for catching
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. net — in sport
  23. mug — a cup
  24. branch — a division

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