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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: bear · branch · vault · cold · current · mate · lash · content

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bear — the animal
  5. content — the amount
  6. current — electric
  7. content — happy
  8. current — happening now
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bear — the animal
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. current — of water
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mate — to breed
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bear — to put up with

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