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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. squash — to crush
  5. deal — to handle
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. squash — the sport
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. field — farmland
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. land — ground
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. field — a subject
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. field — for sport
  20. land — to come down
  21. pass — a permit
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. branch — of a bank
  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