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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · field · lash · wave · branch · game · snap · spell

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. spell — magic
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. game — a match
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. press — to push
  8. spell — letters
  9. branch — a division
  10. field — farmland
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. field — for sport
  16. spell — a short time
  17. game — wild animals
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. field — a subject
  22. snap — to click
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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