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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: wave · squash · race · branch · prune · cap · racket · stem

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. cap — a hat
  3. race — a contest
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — humankind
  17. stem — to come from
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cap — a lid
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cap — of ice
  22. branch — a division
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. squash — the vegetable

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