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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: lash · calf · rash · content · spring · branch · face · drill

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. drill — army training
  4. spring — of water
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. content — the amount
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rash — a series
  9. branch — a division
  10. content — happy
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. spring — the season
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spring — a coil
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — part of the head
  24. content — videos and posts

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