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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — of water
  6. root — of a word
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. spring — a coil
  9. squash — the sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. root — the cause
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — a division

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