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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: straw · game · safe · branch · land · squash · rash · pound

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. land — a country
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. land — to come down
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. land — ground
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rash — a series
  17. branch — a division
  18. game — a match
  19. pound — a weight
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. branch — of a tree

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