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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.

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 · mine · court · branch · straw · fork · bore · hand

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. hand — help
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fork — in a road
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. branch — a division
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bore — to tire
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. squash — the sport
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. court — of law

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