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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · branch · wax · squash · scale · coach · hand · stand

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. scale — in music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wax — to grow
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hand — help
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. scale — size or range
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. branch — a division

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