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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · race · chair · cell · branch · hide

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. race — humankind
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cell — a phone
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. branch — a division
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. race — a contest
  16. squash — to crush
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. branch — of a bank

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