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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: tube · stock · squash · branch · arm · bowl · ground · bear

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. squash — to crush
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. branch — a division
  7. stock — shares
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ground — a position
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bear — the animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stock — goods
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bowl — a dish

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