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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: rash · lash · wake · net · land · branch · sharp · shower

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. shower — rain
  5. land — a country
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rash — a series
  10. sharp — clever
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. land — ground
  14. wake — a trail
  15. land — to come down
  16. branch — a division
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rash — hasty
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. lash — to lash out

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