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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.

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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 · squash · season · coach · cue · root · ball · stock

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. root — of a plant
  9. stock — shares
  10. season — of the year
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cue — for pool
  14. stock — goods
  15. root — of a word
  16. squash — the sport
  17. branch — a division
  18. ball — a dance
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. ball — a great time
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. root — the cause
  24. branch — of a bank

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