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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: lash · dip · bat · band · branch · calf · chest · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. chest — a box
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. dip — to sink
  17. band — a music group
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. band — a ring
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. chest — of your body
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. branch — a division

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