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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. club — a group
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stem — to come from
  12. sharp — clever
  13. club — for dancing
  14. branch — a division
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. capital — a city
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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