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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 120 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: pitcher · branch · lash · mine · fall · saw

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fall — the season
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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