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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ball — a dance
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wound — an injury
  7. face — to confront
  8. ball — a great time
  9. press — a publisher
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. net — after costs
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. press — to push
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. net — for catching
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. press — newspapers
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. face — to point toward
  23. branch — a division
  24. face — part of the head

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