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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. squash — to crush
  3. branch — a division
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. squash — the sport
  7. row — a line
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. roll — a cake
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stock — goods
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stock — shares

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