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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: cue · net · spring · patient · stock · lash · branch · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. spring — the season
  5. branch — a division
  6. stock — shares
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. net — after costs
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cue — for pool
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. stock — goods
  20. cue — a hint
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cue — a signal
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. lash — an eyelash

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