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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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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: rash · ruler · squash · ground · lash · wind · cell · branch

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rash — a series
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cell — in biology
  22. ground — a position
  23. branch — a division
  24. rash — hasty

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