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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 · hide · tear · wax · stick · suit · arm · branch

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. branch — a division
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wax — to grow
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. suit — clothes
  13. squash — to crush
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — to fit
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. tear — from crying

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