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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: pitcher · branch · cell · mug · deal · lash · land · tear

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mug — a face
  4. tear — from crying
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. land — ground
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. land — to come down
  11. tear — to rip
  12. deal — to handle
  13. land — a country
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. branch — a division
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cell — a phone
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cell — in biology
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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