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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: lash · date · bass · cue · race · key · patient · branch

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bass — low music
  6. branch — a division
  7. race — a contest
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. race — humankind
  10. cue — a hint
  11. race — the arms race
  12. key — for a lock
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. key — in music
  17. cue — a signal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. date — the fruit
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. key — the most important part
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cue — for pool
  24. patient — a sick person

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