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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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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: cell · wake · bark · chest · date · lash · branch · tube

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. tube — a container
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cell — in biology
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wake — a trail
  19. branch — a division
  20. chest — a box
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tube — the underground

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