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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: stick · cue · lash · content · chest · season · rash · branch

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cue — a signal
  5. season — in sport
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. season — of the year
  11. rash — hasty
  12. content — happy
  13. chest — a box
  14. rash — a series
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. content — the amount
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. cue — a hint
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. chest — of your body

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