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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. row — a line
  5. stock — shares
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stock — goods
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. squash — to crush
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. fan — to cool the air

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