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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. firm — decided
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. firm — steady
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pop — soda
  9. band — a music group
  10. rest — what's left
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pop — music
  13. firm — a company
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rest — what's left
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. branch — a division
  23. rest — a break
  24. sharp — clever

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