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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 124 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. row — a line
  5. net — after costs
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. field — a subject
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. net — in sport
  17. season — in sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. row — to paddle
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. net — for catching
  22. field — for sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. leaves — lets stay

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