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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 116 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: patient · squash · spring · craft · chair · rash · trunk · branch

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spring — a coil
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rash — a series
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. squash — the sport
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spring — of water
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. spring — the season
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. craft — boats
  24. trunk — 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