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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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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: perch · chair · fan · rush · branch · lash · bound · rash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. perch — the fish
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rash — hasty
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bound — certain
  16. branch — a division
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rush — hurry
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rash — a series
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bound — tied together
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rush — to hurry

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