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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: staff · swing · pass · branch · lash · field · wax · rash

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pass — a permit
  3. staff — employees
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wax — to grow
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. staff — a stick
  15. branch — a division
  16. swing — to play on
  17. field — farmland
  18. swing — music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. staff — employees
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rash — a series
  24. field — for sport

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