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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. branch — a division
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. march — the month
  10. pop — soda
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. pop — music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — music
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — to visit

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