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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 120 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: arm · spell · squash · straw · craft · march · branch · rush

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. spell — magic
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — a division
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. craft — boats
  7. spell — letters
  8. craft — a skill
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. march — music
  11. squash — the sport
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. spell — a short time
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. arm — part of the body
  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