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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: branch · fall · lash · sharp · suit · land · club · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. suit — in cards
  4. sharp — clever
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. suit — clothes
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hand — help
  9. club — for dancing
  10. land — a country
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. fall — the season
  13. land — ground
  14. fall — to drop
  15. branch — a division
  16. club — for golf
  17. suit — to fit
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. land — to come down
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hand — in cards
  24. club — a group

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