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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: hide · game · squash · wake · jam · charge · lash · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. charge — electricity
  8. game — a match
  9. squash — the sport
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. game — wild animals
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. squash — the vegetable

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