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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: sharp · bound · kid · row · branch · leaves · squash · mine

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bound — obliged
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. squash — the sport
  15. row — a line
  16. sharp — clever
  17. row — to paddle
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. kid — child
  21. branch — a division
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mine — for digging

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