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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: straw · branch · chest · bark · dip · plane · lash · fan

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. chest — of your body
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. branch — a division
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chest — a box
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. branch — of a bank

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