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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fine — all right
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — a subject
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. field — for sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. field — farmland
  23. wake — a trail
  24. ruler — for measuring

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