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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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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: snap · race · firm · branch · wound · tear · temple · lash

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wound — an injury
  3. firm — steady
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. race — the arms race
  6. tear — from crying
  7. firm — a company
  8. race — humankind
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. tear — from crying
  13. snap — to click
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tear — to rip
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. firm — decided
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. branch — a division
  23. race — a contest
  24. temple — a place of worship

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