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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: staff · cell · squash · hide · clip · branch · deal · pop

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. staff — employees
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. staff — a stick
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. branch — a division
  13. deal — to handle
  14. clip — to cut
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. staff — employees
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pop — soda
  21. clip — a video
  22. cell — in biology
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. hide — animal skin

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