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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: net · land · scale · branch · hand · lash · bore · cell

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. net — for catching
  4. hand — help
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. scale — size or range
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. hand — in cards
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. cell — a phone
  19. land — to come down
  20. scale — in music
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cell — in biology

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