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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.

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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: charge · leaves · tube · lash · straw · branch · lie · bass

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. charge — a price
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tube — a container
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. charge — electricity
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. tube — the underground
  13. charge — in control
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. branch — a division
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. branch — of a bank

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