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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: cabinet · lash · branch · kid · calf · season · prune · bear

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. kid — to tease
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bear — the animal
  12. season — of the year
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bear — the animal
  24. branch — a division

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