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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: squash · roll · mine · branch · land · face · mate · chair

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. land — ground
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mate — a partner
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. land — a country
  12. roll — a list
  13. chair — a leader
  14. roll — a cake
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. squash — to crush
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. land — to come down
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mate — a friend
  24. face — to confront

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