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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: pit · mine · court · bank · clip · last · branch · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. clip — a video
  5. pit — in a race
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bank — of a river
  9. last — finally
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bank — for money
  13. court — of a king
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. branch — a division
  19. pit — a hole
  20. clip — to cut
  21. court — of law
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bank — for money
  24. court — for sport

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