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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · bowl · squash · jam · branch · rash · cold · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. squash — the sport
  5. branch — a division
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lean — thin
  11. cold — an illness
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. rash — hasty
  15. toast — bread
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. squash — to crush
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rash — a series

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