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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — for golf
  5. mark — a grade
  6. club — for dancing
  7. band — a music group
  8. fall — the season
  9. hand — help
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. hand — in cards
  13. ground — the earth
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fall — to drop
  16. squash — the sport
  17. club — a group
  18. ground — crushed
  19. band — a ring
  20. ground — a position
  21. mark — a trace
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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