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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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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: wake · branch · ground · sharp · lash · tear · mate · chip

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ground — a position
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chip — to eat
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. branch — a division
  17. ground — crushed
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mate — a friend
  20. ground — the earth
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chip — for betting
  23. tear — from crying
  24. sharp — with an edge

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