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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
468
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 · march · snap · content · ball · lash · branch · bound

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. ball — a great time
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. snap — to click
  7. march — the month
  8. bound — certain
  9. ball — a dance
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. march — music
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. march — the month

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