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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: branch · lash · content · field · kid · fine · spring · arm

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. branch — a division
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. field — farmland
  6. kid — to tease
  7. content — happy
  8. spring — of water
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. spring — a coil
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. spring — the season
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fine — high quality
  16. field — for sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. field — a subject
  24. fine — all right

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