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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 116 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 · tear · hide · lash · cell · prune · mouse · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. branch — a division
  22. cell — in biology
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. branch — of a bank

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