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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. squash — to crush
  4. branch — a division
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stand — to bear
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. squash — the sport
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. ball — a dance
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. snap — to click
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wound — an injury
  24. squash — the vegetable

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