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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: press · shower · lash · pop · rash · deal · perch · branch

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. branch — a division
  5. deal — to handle
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pop — music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pop — soda
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. rash — hasty
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. perch — the fish
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rash — a series
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pop — to visit

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