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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: pound · branch · safe · row · hand · fall · squash · cap

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fall — to drop
  5. row — a line
  6. hand — help
  7. pound — a weight
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. hand — in cards
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. squash — the sport
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cap — a lid
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fall — the season
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cap — of ice
  21. row — to paddle
  22. branch — a division
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pound — for dogs

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