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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. branch — a division
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. staff — employees
  6. file — a line of people
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. key — for a lock
  9. chair — a leader
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. key — in music
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. key — the most important part
  16. tube — a container
  17. file — a tool
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. file — a document
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. staff — employees
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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