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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: pass · land · branch · key · squash · lash · hand · sharp

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. key — the most important part
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. key — for a lock
  9. hand — help
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. branch — a division
  16. key — in music
  17. sharp — clever
  18. land — to come down
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pass — a permit

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