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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: stem · sharp · pitcher · vault · game · branch · squash · wax

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. squash — the sport
  6. branch — a division
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — to grow
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. game — a match
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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