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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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Word bank
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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: pit · clip · branch · mine · bay · march · bank · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. march — the month
  4. bank — for money
  5. pit — a hole
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. march — the month
  8. squash — the sport
  9. march — music
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pit — in a race
  16. branch — a division
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bank — for money
  20. clip — a video
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bank — of a river

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