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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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468
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: capital · rest · chip · mouse · net · lash · branch · spring

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rest — what's left
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. spring — the season
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. net — after costs
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rest — a break
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. capital — a city
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. branch — a division
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. capital — money
  22. net — in sport
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. spring — of water

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