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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 116 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: rash · lash · bat · hide · spring · branch · coach · mine

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bat — the animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rash — a series

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