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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bound — certain
  8. current — happening now
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. branch — a division
  12. net — in sport
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. current — electric
  15. cell — a phone
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — for catching
  18. current — of water
  19. net — after costs
  20. bound — tied together
  21. kid — child
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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