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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.

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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: snap · lash · plane · straw · branch · swing · drill · tear

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. drill — the tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. tear — to rip
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. drill — army training
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. tear — from crying
  14. snap — to click
  15. drill — a practice
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. swing — music
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. plane — a tool
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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