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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: mine · wake · file · temple · can · field · branch · squash

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. branch — a division
  6. can — a tin
  7. wake — a trail
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. file — a tool
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. field — farmland
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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