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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: band · branch · saw · spring · hand · lash · face · board

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. band — a music group
  6. face — to point toward
  7. board — a committee
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. board — to get on
  13. face — to confront
  14. saw — the tool
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. band — a ring
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hand — in cards
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hand — part of the body

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