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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mine — for digging
  3. squash — the sport
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. deal — to handle
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. branch — a division
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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