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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: straw · rule · branch · lash · pit · chest · pop · sharp

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pop — to visit
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rule — government
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. branch — a division
  19. rule — a law
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pop — music
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pop — soda
  24. branch — of a bank

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