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

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. row — a line
  4. branch — a division
  5. row — to paddle
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. court — of a king
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mate — a friend
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. hand — help
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mate — to breed
  21. court — for sport
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. court — of law
  24. mate — a partner

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