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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: squash · wave · spell · bark · branch · net · lash · cap

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. branch — a division
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cap — a hat
  7. net — after costs
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bark — to shout
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spell — letters
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. net — for catching
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. net — in sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bark — of a tree

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