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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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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 · toast · craft · ground · track · squash · rash · saw

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. ground — crushed
  3. craft — boats
  4. track — a song
  5. toast — bread
  6. squash — to crush
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. squash — the sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — a position
  16. craft — a skill
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. track — a path
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ground — the earth
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rash — a series
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. toast — the most admired

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