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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: scale · press · mug · lash · ball · branch · cabinet · rash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. branch — a division
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mug — a cup
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mug — a face
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ball — a great time
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. press — to push
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — in music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mug — to rob
  17. ball — a dance
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rash — a series
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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