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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: rash · spring · wind · mine · swing · branch · cell · lean

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. spring — of water
  4. lean — thin
  5. swing — to play on
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. swing — music
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mine — for digging
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rash — hasty
  17. swing — in golf
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spring — the season
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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