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

Word bank: bore · game · fan · rash · branch · lash

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rash — a series
  4. bore — to drill
  5. branch — a division
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bore — to tire
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. game — a match
  18. rash — hasty

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