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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: mate · branch · bat · lash · kick · spring · foot · cap

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cap — a hat
  21. foot — a measure
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. foot — part of the body
  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