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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: branch · swing · board · date · lash · cold · toast · staff

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. swing — to play on
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. swing — in golf
  13. staff — employees
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. swing — music
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. cold — not warm
  19. board — to get on
  20. branch — a division
  21. cold — an illness
  22. toast — bread
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. date — the fruit

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