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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: bound · lash · branch · file · kid · pop · last · bass

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. file — a document
  3. bound — tied together
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pop — music
  7. last — finally
  8. pop — to visit
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. last — to go on
  13. file — a tool
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pop — soda
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bound — certain
  19. last — final
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bound — obliged
  24. kid — to tease

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