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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: staff · branch · bark · chair · bear · bore · rush · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bore — to tire
  10. staff — employees
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. branch — a division
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rush — hurry
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. branch — of a tree

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