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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 116 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: wind · squash · lash · branch · stem · saw · bay · hand

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. squash — to crush
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — in cards
  8. saw — the tool
  9. branch — a division
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. hand — help
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. lash — an eyelash

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