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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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Word bank
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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. scale — in music
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. scale — size or range
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cold — an illness
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. face — to confront
  24. pop — soda

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