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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: tear · branch · lash · net · chair · press · wax · jam

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. tear — from crying
  4. press — a publisher
  5. branch — a division
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. net — for catching
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wax — to grow
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. net — after costs
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. net — in sport
  18. tear — to rip
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. press — newspapers
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. press — to push

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