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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: branch · deal · squash · ground · mate · race · kick · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. deal — to handle
  3. ground — the earth
  4. race — a contest
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mate — a partner
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. ground — a position
  14. kick — in football
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. ground — crushed
  19. squash — to crush
  20. branch — a division
  21. lean — to bend
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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