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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: bat · lash · band · trunk · board · suit · fall · branch

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. band — a ring
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. branch — a division
  5. suit — to fit
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bat — the animal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. board — a committee
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. suit — in cards
  14. band — a music group
  15. board — to get on
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fall — to drop
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. branch — of a tree
  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