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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: tube · cap · lash · chest · squash · shower · branch · current

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chest — of your body
  4. branch — a division
  5. squash — the sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. shower — rain
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. tube — the underground
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. squash — to crush
  20. current — of water
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. tube — a container
  23. cap — of ice
  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