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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 120 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: lie · march · wave · branch · lash · shower · bear · wind

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. march — music
  8. branch — a division
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. shower — rain
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wind — moving air
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. shower — to wash

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