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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: straw · wake · branch · chip · season · mark · pitcher · lash

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mark — a grade
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. season — of the year
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mark — a trace
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. season — in sport

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