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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: hand · season · squash · branch · bulb · drill · bark · object

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bulb — for light
  9. object — an aim
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. object — to protest
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. squash — to crush
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. drill — army training
  21. season — of the year
  22. object — a thing
  23. season — in sport
  24. hand — help

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