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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: mate · chair · rule · date · branch · roll · lash · lean

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. rule — government
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. rule — a law
  10. roll — a cake
  11. lean — to bend
  12. roll — a list
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lean — thin
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mate — a friend
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. branch — a division
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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