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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · pound · lash · squash · branch · march · can · face

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. can — a tin
  4. object — to protest
  5. pound — a weight
  6. face — to point toward
  7. squash — the sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. march — the month
  10. face — to confront
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. object — an aim
  14. can — to be able to
  15. march — music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. branch — a division
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. march — the month
  22. object — a thing
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. can — a tin

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