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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: rash · branch · game · wave · temple · tear · cell · squash

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. squash — the sport
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rash — a series
  13. game — a match
  14. rash — hasty
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. game — wild animals
  22. branch — a division
  23. cell — a phone
  24. branch — of a tree

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