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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — letters
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. clip — for paper
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. clip — a video
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. spell — a short time
  17. branch — a division
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — magic
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. last — final
  24. clip — to cut

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