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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: fall · branch · kick · squash · cue · file · mouse · mine

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. fall — the season
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cue — for pool
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fall — to drop
  13. file — a tool
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. file — a line of people
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cue — a hint
  24. file — a document

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