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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: fan · arm · leaves · land · branch · lash · band · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. land — ground
  5. branch — a division
  6. band — a music group
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a ring
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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