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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: stick · hand · swing · squash · branch · rest · arm · spell

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spell — magic
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. hand — help
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spell — letters
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. swing — to play on
  15. branch — a division
  16. swing — music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. swing — in golf
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — in cards
  23. squash — the sport
  24. spell — a short time

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