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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: lash · clip · press · leaves · hand · branch · staff · land

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. press — to push
  4. staff — employees
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. press — a publisher
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. clip — for paper
  11. staff — employees
  12. branch — a division
  13. staff — a stick
  14. clip — to cut
  15. land — to come down
  16. hand — help
  17. clip — a video
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. land — ground
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. land — a country
  24. press — newspapers

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