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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bark — to shout
  4. branch — a division
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. perch — the fish
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  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