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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. branch — a division
  4. net — after costs
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. net — in sport
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fine — high quality
  13. craft — boats
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fine — all right
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. net — for catching
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. ruler — a monarch

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