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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: swing · ground · rash · lash · current · rest · clip · branch

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ground — a position
  4. branch — a division
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rash — a series
  7. ground — crushed
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. swing — in golf
  10. current — of water
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. current — electric
  16. rest — what's left
  17. current — happening now
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. rest — a break

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