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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · pass · net · cold · branch · lash · jam · bass

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pass — a permit
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. content — the amount
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. net — after costs
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. content — happy
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. net — for catching
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. net — in sport

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