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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. perch — the fish
  5. lean — thin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. field — farmland
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bat — the animal
  15. field — a subject
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. lean — to bend
  21. field — for sport
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bat — in an idiom

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