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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pound — a weight
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. branch — a division
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. race — humankind
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. race — a contest
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. race — the arms race
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. chair — a leader

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