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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: craft · staff · court · branch · mine · stock · squash · date

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stock — shares
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. court — of law
  8. squash — the sport
  9. staff — employees
  10. stock — goods
  11. staff — employees
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. court — of a king
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. craft — boats
  22. court — for sport
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. squash — to crush

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