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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 120 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pitch — completely
  3. squash — the sport
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ball — a great time
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pound — a weight
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mine — an explosive

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