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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: bear · mate · band · ground · branch · board · squash · mug

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. band — a music group
  3. mate — a partner
  4. board — to get on
  5. ground — a position
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mate — a friend
  13. band — a ring
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. branch — a division
  21. ground — crushed
  22. board — a committee
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bear — the animal

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