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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. band — a ring
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bass — low music
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. band — a music group
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. leaves — to go away

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