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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mug — a face
  3. court — of a king
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mate — a partner
  10. branch — a division
  11. court — for sport
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. court — of law
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mug — to rob
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cold — an illness
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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