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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: net · lash · rash · bank · craft · kid · chip · branch

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kid — child
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. branch — a division
  9. net — for catching
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. net — after costs
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. chip — for betting
  15. craft — boats
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. net — in sport
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rash — a series
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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