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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: jam · bass · lash · wound · bat · current · branch · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. current — electric
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. current — happening now
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bass — low music
  9. current — of water
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bass — the fish
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. branch — a division
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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