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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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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: object · wind · rush · fall · lash · bay · key · branch

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. object — to protest
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. object — an aim
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — in music
  17. object — a thing
  18. fall — to drop
  19. key — the most important part
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — a division
  24. fall — the season

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