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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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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: bank · cold · arm · jam · lash · shower · branch · dip

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. branch — a division
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bank — of a river
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bank — for money
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bank — for money
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. shower — rain
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. shower — to wash

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