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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · row · lash · branch · firm · wax · rest · march

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. spring — a coil
  6. row — a line
  7. firm — steady
  8. march — the month
  9. branch — a division
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spring — the season
  13. wax — to grow
  14. march — music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. row — to paddle
  17. spring — of water
  18. rest — a break
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. firm — a company
  23. march — the month
  24. lash — an eyelash

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