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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 120 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: bass · cold · cue · calf · branch · board · lash · cap

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. cap — a hat
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cue — for pool
  10. board — to get on
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bass — the fish
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. branch — a division
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cold — not warm
  24. board — a committee

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