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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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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: lash · branch · row · staff · net · wind · race · bore

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. race — humankind
  2. row — a line
  3. net — for catching
  4. staff — employees
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. race — the arms race
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wind — moving air
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. race — a contest
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wind — moving air
  18. branch — a division
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. row — to paddle
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. staff — a stick
  23. branch — of a bank
  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