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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rash — a series
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. swing — music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. branch — a division
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — clever
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mark — a trace
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. prune — the fruit

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