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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: wake · squash · rock · branch · mine · file · stem · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rock — a stone
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mug — to rob
  9. file — a tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stem — to come from
  12. branch — a division
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. file — a document
  18. rock — music
  19. mug — a face
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mine — an explosive

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