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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: hide · mate · squash · lie · branch · current · stick · rest

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rest — a break
  3. current — happening now
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rest — what's left
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. squash — to crush
  11. current — of water
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. current — electric

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