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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: arm · fall · lash · cabinet · fan · wake · branch · wave

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fall — the season
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. branch — a division
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wake — a trail
  24. branch — of a bank

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