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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: squash · branch · stick · prune · lean · face · straw · spell

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. squash — to crush
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — letters
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lean — to rest against

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