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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. squash — the sport
  3. deal — to handle
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. field — for sport
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. field — a subject
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. branch — a division
  13. bark — to shout
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. field — farmland
  23. squash — to crush
  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