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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: squash · patient · net · bulb · branch · season · roll · toast

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. toast — bread
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. season — of the year
  9. bulb — for light
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. net — for catching
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bulb — for light
  18. net — in sport
  19. season — in sport
  20. roll — a list
  21. net — after costs
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. squash — the sport
  24. toast — the most admired

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