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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: mine · bark · mug · branch · pop · mouse · squash · face

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. squash — to crush
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pop — soda
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pop — music
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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