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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rest — a break
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. squash — to crush
  7. suit — clothes
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rest — what's left
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. swing — music
  14. branch — a division
  15. swing — to play on
  16. cell — in biology
  17. suit — to fit
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cell — a phone
  20. suit — in cards
  21. squash — the sport
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. rest — what's left

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