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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 · spring · cap · march · branch · shower · rock · rule

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spring — the season
  4. squash — the sport
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rule — a law
  7. rock — a stone
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. march — the month
  10. rule — government
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. shower — rain
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. march — the month
  17. squash — to crush
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. march — music
  20. branch — a division
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. spring — of water
  24. rock — music

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