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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: foot · pass · nail · spell · pitcher · squash · shower · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. branch — a division
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. foot — a measure
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. shower — to wash
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. shower — rain
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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