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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: mouse · chest · game · branch · pop · lash · saw · rash

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. branch — a division
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chest — a box
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. game — a match
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pop — to visit
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pop — soda
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pop — music
  24. lash — to lash out

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