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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. present — a gift
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. drill — a practice
  8. branch — a division
  9. swing — music
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. present — the time now
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stem — to come from
  22. swing — in golf
  23. drill — army training
  24. present — there

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