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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. chip — for betting
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chip — to eat
  8. branch — a division
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bound — certain
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bound — obliged
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bound — tied together
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. kick — in football
  24. chip — in a computer

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