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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: nail · squash · branch · pound · fine · rush · wind · ball

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wind — moving air
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fine — all right
  14. branch — a division
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ball — a round shape

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