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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: branch · lash · snap · scale · can · stick · bat · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. scale — in music
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. can — a tin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. present — the time now
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bat — the animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. snap — to click
  14. branch — a division
  15. can — to be able to
  16. present — there
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bat — for baseball

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