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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: can · branch · pit · squash · bat · board · spell · spring

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. can — a tin
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spell — a short time
  7. branch — a division
  8. can — a tin
  9. spring — the season
  10. spell — letters
  11. pit — a hole
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. board — to get on
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. squash — the sport
  18. spring — a coil
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spring — of water
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. spell — magic
  24. board — a committee

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