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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — certain
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mine — for digging
  14. branch — a division
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bound — tied together
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mine — belonging to me

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