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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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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: chip · row · shower · squash · branch · bowl · deal · pit

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. pit — a hole
  3. squash — the sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. pit — in a race
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. chip — to eat
  17. squash — to crush
  18. chip — for betting
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. row — to paddle
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bowl — a dish

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