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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.

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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 · mug · lash · hand · patient · temple · band · spring

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. band — a ring
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. branch — a division
  6. spring — a coil
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. spring — of water
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. spring — the season
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mug — to rob
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. hand — help
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. band — a music group
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lash — an eyelash

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