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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: rash · lash · object · branch · pop · plane · net · lean

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. net — in sport
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. object — an aim
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pop — music
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lean — thin
  11. pop — soda
  12. rash — a series
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. object — a thing
  15. rash — hasty
  16. plane — a tool
  17. branch — a division
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. net — after costs
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. net — for catching
  22. object — to protest
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. lean — to rest against

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