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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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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 · band · hide · lash · bay · branch · row · swing

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. row — to paddle
  6. band — a music group
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. row — a line
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. swing — to play on
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. swing — music
  19. rest — a break
  20. band — a ring
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. branch — a division
  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