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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: branch · craft · pitcher · mine · lash · net · cap · rash

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rash — a series
  7. net — after costs
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. branch — a division
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. net — for catching
  14. craft — boats
  15. rash — hasty
  16. net — in sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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