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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. object — an aim
  3. squash — the sport
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. season — in sport
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. object — a thing
  9. squash — to crush
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. branch — a division
  14. season — of the year
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. object — to protest
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. drill — a practice

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