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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: branch · band · mate · scale · lash · prune · present · wake

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wake — a trail
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. band — a music group
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. scale — in music
  8. band — a ring
  9. mate — a friend
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mate — to breed
  12. scale — size or range
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. branch — a division
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. present — there
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lash — to lash out

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