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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pit — in a race
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. sharp — clever
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. land — ground
  9. present — a gift
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. object — an aim
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. object — to protest
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. present — the time now
  20. object — a thing
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. spell — magic
  23. branch — a division
  24. present — there

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