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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. face — part of the head
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stem — to come from
  6. season — in sport
  7. face — to point toward
  8. clip — a video
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. clip — for paper
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. face — to confront
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. branch — a division
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. season — of the year
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. calf — a young animal

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