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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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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: mine · wake · season · lash · calf · lie · drill · branch

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. branch — a division
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. drill — the tool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. season — in sport
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. drill — army training
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mine — an explosive

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