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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 116 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: bark · branch · rest · rash · hide · band · capital · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. capital — a city
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rash — a series
  5. rest — what's left
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. band — a music group
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. bark — to shout
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a ring
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rest — a break
  24. hide — animal skin

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