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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: branch · spell · squash · season · board · trunk · scale · straw

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. branch — a division
  3. squash — to crush
  4. spell — letters
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. squash — the sport
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. spell — magic
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spell — a short time
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. scale — in music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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