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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: branch · fall · race · content · bank · lash · kid · drill

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bank — for money
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. fall — to drop
  8. race — a contest
  9. branch — a division
  10. kid — child
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fall — the season
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. race — humankind
  20. drill — army training
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. drill — a practice
  24. race — the arms race

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