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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 120 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
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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 · branch · cell · mine · rash · swing · current · capital

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. current — happening now
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. swing — to play on
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. current — of water
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. current — electric
  12. capital — a city
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. capital — money
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. branch — a division
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lash — to lash out

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