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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. branch — a division
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lie — to recline
  9. capital — money
  10. season — in sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. spring — a coil
  13. last — finally
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pop — soda
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — of the year
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. capital — a city
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — to visit

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