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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: present · march · straw · spring · squash · cabinet · branch · board

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. branch — a division
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. march — the month
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. spring — the season
  10. present — a gift
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. present — there
  14. board — a committee
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. board — to get on
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. present — the time now
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cabinet — ministers

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