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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: date · lash · branch · leaves · shower · sharp · wake · ground

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. shower — rain
  6. wake — a trail
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ground — the earth
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ground — a position
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. branch — a division
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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