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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stand — to bear
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bear — the animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. lash — to lash out

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