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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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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: row · cabinet · squash · branch · perch · saw · hand · degree

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. branch — a division
  6. squash — to crush
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. degree — an amount
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. degree — from a university
  20. row — to paddle
  21. degree — temperature
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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