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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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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bulb — for light
  5. row — a line
  6. branch — a division
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. row — to paddle
  17. can — a tin
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. can — a tin
  21. game — a match
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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