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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: squash · deal · chair · spring · bound · hand · dip · branch

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. deal — to handle
  3. squash — the sport
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. spring — of water
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bound — certain
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. branch — a division
  18. spring — a coil
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. chair — a leader
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. spring — the season
  23. bound — obliged
  24. dip — to sink

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