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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: branch · wind · field · lash · bear · current · file · wake

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. current — of water
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. file — a tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. field — for sport
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. current — electric
  16. wind — moving air
  17. field — a subject
  18. file — a document
  19. wind — moving air
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bear — the animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — farmland

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