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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. field — farmland
  4. squash — to crush
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. drill — army training
  10. field — for sport
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. branch — a division
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. field — a subject
  18. branch — of a tree

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