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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: branch · bat · fall · prune · temple · lash · object · wound

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. fall — the season
  3. bat — the animal
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — an aim
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fall — to drop
  17. branch — a division
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. object — to protest
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. object — a thing

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