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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: wake · branch · ball · squash · field · ruler · drill · press

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. branch — a division
  3. press — a publisher
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. drill — the tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. field — a subject
  17. ball — a dance
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. press — to push
  20. drill — a practice
  21. field — farmland
  22. drill — army training
  23. field — for sport
  24. ruler — for measuring

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