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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. march — music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cue — a signal
  8. root — of a word
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. root — of a plant
  13. squash — to crush
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bat — the animal
  17. root — the cause
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. branch — a division
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. fine — all right
  24. bat — in an idiom

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