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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. spell — magic
  3. squash — the sport
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. squash — to crush
  7. branch — a division
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. band — a ring
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lean — thin
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stem — to come from
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a music group
  24. spell — letters

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