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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 116 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: bat · branch · dip · key · squash · saw · mark · land

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. key — the most important part
  8. land — ground
  9. saw — the tool
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mark — a trace
  13. key — in music
  14. bat — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. land — a country
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. land — to come down
  22. branch — a division
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mark — a grade

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