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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: drill · dip · rock · rash · branch · file · squash · lash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. squash — the sport
  13. drill — army training
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. file — a document
  17. rock — music
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. branch — a division

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