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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 116 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: fall · bore · snap · branch · lash · bat · capital · board

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bat — the animal
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. capital — a city
  10. snap — to click
  11. branch — a division
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. capital — money
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fall — to drop
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. capital — a big letter

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