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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. march — music
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. branch — a division
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. march — the month
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. prune — to trim
  24. nail — for a hammer

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