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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 116 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: row · pound · mouse · branch · tear · lash · trunk · ball

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — a division
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ball — a dance
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. row — a line
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. tear — to rip
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pound — a weight
  23. row — to paddle
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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