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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · lash · racket · branch · coach · leaves · cold · row

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bulb — for light
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — an illness
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. branch — a division
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. row — to paddle
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. row — a line

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