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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: land · roll · stand · branch · rule · squash · fan · racket

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rule — a law
  6. squash — the sport
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. roll — a list
  10. land — to come down
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. rule — government
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — a country
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rule — to rule out

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