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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stock — shares
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. staff — employees
  12. date — the fruit
  13. branch — a division
  14. mine — for digging
  15. staff — a stick
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. staff — employees
  19. bore — to tire
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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