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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: rock · branch · game · fan · swing · rule · lash · pitcher

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. game — a match
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rock — to move gently

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