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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: bank · shower · bowl · squash · branch · chip · staff · bat

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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. bat — the animal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. staff — employees
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. chip — for betting
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bank — for money
  19. squash — the sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — a division
  22. bank — for money
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. shower — to wash

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