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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 120 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: dip · branch · leaves · lash · drill · saw · pop · race

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. drill — the tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pop — music
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. saw — the tool
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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