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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: branch · chair · club · fall · lash · foot · stem · rush

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — hurry
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fall — to drop
  7. club — for golf
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. branch — a division
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. stem — to come from
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. fall — the season
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. foot — a measure
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stem — of a plant

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