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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cap — of ice
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ground — a position
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bark — to shout
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ball — a dance
  24. branch — a division

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