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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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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: straw · squash · court · cap · rule · nail · chest · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. court — of a king
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. chest — a box
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rule — government
  16. court — for sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. squash — to crush
  20. court — of law
  21. rule — a law
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cap — of ice
  24. nail — for a hammer

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