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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. squash — the sport
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pit — a hole
  8. squash — to crush
  9. branch — a division
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — help
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth

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