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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: lash · clip · march · coach · game · wax · sharp · branch

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. clip — for paper
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — to grow
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. clip — a video
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. branch — a division
  16. clip — to cut
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. game — wild animals
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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