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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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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: kid · bat · cell · bear · dip · lash · ruler · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. kid — child
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. ruler — a monarch

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