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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bark — to shout
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — a leader
  7. deal — to handle
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. squash — the sport
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. kick — in football
  19. squash — to crush
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. branch — a division
  24. stem — of a plant

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