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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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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: deal · bark · fall · lash · swing · shower · firm · branch

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fall — the season
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. shower — rain
  11. branch — a division
  12. deal — to handle
  13. swing — to play on
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. swing — music
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — decided
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fall — to drop
  21. firm — a company
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. swing — in golf

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