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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 116 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: wave · rush · face · branch · current · stick · cell · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. face — to confront
  4. cell — a phone
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. current — happening now
  8. cell — in biology
  9. squash — to crush
  10. current — of water
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. squash — the sport
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. branch — a division
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. current — electric

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