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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: sharp · branch · hide · cold · stem · cap · squash · rule

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cold — not warm
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. squash — to crush
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rule — government
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rule — a law
  18. branch — a division
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cold — an illness
  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