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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: game · rock · lash · plane · land · stick · spring · branch

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spring — a coil
  3. plane — a tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. game — a match
  7. land — a country
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. land — to come down
  10. rock — music
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. game — wild animals
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. spring — of water
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spring — the season
  17. land — ground
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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