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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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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: patient · branch · roll · file · ball · cue · lash · leaves

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cue — a hint
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cue — for pool
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. branch — a division
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. file — a line of people
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. file — a document
  21. roll — a list
  22. file — a tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cue — a signal

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