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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: lean · bat · kick · bay · net · hand · date · branch

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. branch — a division
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. net — in sport
  5. lean — thin
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. net — for catching
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. net — after costs
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. kick — in football
  24. lean — to bend

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