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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: branch · date · court · bore · bank · squash · wound · press

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. court — for sport
  4. bank — for money
  5. court — of a king
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. court — of law
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. press — a publisher
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bank — of a river
  18. branch — a division
  19. wound — an injury
  20. press — newspapers
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bore — to drill
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. press — to push

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