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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · prune · squash · wound · ball · deal · lean · racket

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. 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. squash — the sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wound — an injury
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. prune — to trim
  11. branch — a division
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lean — thin
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lean — to bend
  24. 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