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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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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: rest · kick · branch · last · lash · chair · squash · bass

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chair — a leader
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — the fish
  5. squash — to crush
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. last — to go on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. squash — the sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. bass — low music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rest — a break
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. last — finally
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rest — what's left

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