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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bank — for money
  5. branch — a division
  6. key — in music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. snap — to click
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. land — a country
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spring — of water
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bank — of a river
  17. land — ground
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. key — for a lock
  20. land — to come down
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. bank — for money

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