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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 · lean · branch · fall · pop · cell · racket · field

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. field — farmland
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pop — music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pop — soda
  10. lean — thin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fall — the season
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. lean — to bend
  17. branch — a division
  18. fall — to drop
  19. field — a subject
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. field — for sport
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fall — to drop
  24. racket — for tennis

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