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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mug — a face
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. shower — to wash
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. present — there
  10. snap — to click
  11. present — the time now
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. branch — a division
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bore — to tire
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mug — to rob
  21. present — a gift
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lash — to lash out

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