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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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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: squash · suit · fork · kick · wound · mine · branch · drill

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. drill — army training
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. drill — the tool
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mine — for digging
  14. suit — in cards
  15. kick — in football
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. drill — a practice
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wound — an injury
  21. suit — clothes
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. suit — to fit
  24. mine — an explosive

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