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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.

Words on the sheet
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: date · ruler · ball · rash · lash · branch · march · squash

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ball — a dance
  11. branch — a division
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. march — the month
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. march — music
  18. date — the fruit
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rash — a series
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lash — to lash out

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