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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · chest · date · band · cabinet · scale · branch · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. branch — a division
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. band — a music group
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. scale — in music
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. chest — a box
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. chest — of your body
  20. date — the fruit
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. chest — of your body

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