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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 120 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: calf · lash · pound · squash · branch · shower · clip · fork

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pound — a weight
  6. branch — a division
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fork — in a road
  14. shower — rain
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. squash — to crush
  24. shower — to wash

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