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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: hand · track · branch · cabinet · spell · staff · squash · lash

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — magic
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spell — letters
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. squash — to crush
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. track — a path
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. track — a song
  20. hand — in cards
  21. staff — a stick
  22. branch — a division
  23. staff — employees
  24. hand — help

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