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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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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: kid · lash · firm · wake · game · craft · tear · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kid — to tease
  4. firm — steady
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. kid — child
  7. firm — decided
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. firm — a company
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. craft — a skill
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. tear — to rip
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wake — a trail
  23. game — a match
  24. branch — a division

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