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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — of water
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. branch — a division
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. current — of water
  13. scale — size or range
  14. current — happening now
  15. scale — in music
  16. spring — the season
  17. current — electric
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. track — a path
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. spring — a coil
  23. track — to keep track
  24. scale — for weighing

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