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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: spring · bowl · cabinet · bore · bank · branch · kid · lash

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. bank — for money
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. spring — the season
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. branch — a division
  14. bank — of a river
  15. spring — of water
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — to tire
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. kid — child
  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