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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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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: branch · club · mine · mark · snap · rock · dip · lash

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. club — a group
  10. rock — music
  11. branch — a division
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. snap — to click
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mark — a grade
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mine — belonging to me

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