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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: leaves · trunk · saw · lash · branch · tube · rush · kick

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tube — the underground
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. branch — a division
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. kick — in football
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kick — with a leg

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