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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: rush · lash · branch · snap · coach · chest · root · fork

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fork — in a road
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. snap — to click
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. chest — a box
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. branch — a division
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. root — the cause
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. chest — of your body

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