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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: last · nail · trunk · bank · fan · branch · lash · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. branch — a division
  8. last — to go on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bank — for money
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. last — final
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. last — finally
  24. sharp — exactly

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