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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: pitcher · squash · leaves · stick · branch · wax · mate · hand

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mate — to breed
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mate — a partner
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hand — help
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. branch — a division
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. squash — the vegetable

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