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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: march · lash · arm · rule · band · lean · branch · pit

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. band — a music group
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. march — music
  13. branch — a division
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a ring
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. march — the month

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