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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 116 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. branch — a division
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wound — an injury
  8. suit — clothes
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wound — an injury
  12. perch — the fish
  13. net — after costs
  14. suit — in cards
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. suit — to fit
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. spring — of water

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