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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 120 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: hide · row · club · lash · branch · sharp · scale · current

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. current — electric
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. current — of water
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. current — happening now
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. club — for dancing
  12. branch — a division
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. sharp — clever
  18. row — a line
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. club — for golf
  23. scale — size or range
  24. row — to paddle

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