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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. court — for sport
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. can — a tin
  9. pop — music
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bear — the animal
  12. drill — a practice
  13. can — to be able to
  14. court — of a king
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. court — of law
  19. pop — soda
  20. drill — army training
  21. bass — low music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. can — a tin

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