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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. branch — a division
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. nail — on a finger

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