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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rush — hurry
  4. branch — a division
  5. drill — the tool
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wound — an injury
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. drill — army training
  17. scale — in music
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. drill — a practice
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lash — an eyelash

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