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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: hand · lash · plane · stock · trunk · rash · branch · fork

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. branch — a division
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hand — help
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stock — goods
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stock — shares

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