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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: branch · squash · band · bore · bat · rock · fan · can

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. band — a music group
  3. bore — to drill
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rock — a stone
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. can — a tin
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. band — a ring
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. can — a tin
  15. bat — the animal
  16. branch — a division
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. squash — the sport
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. bore — to tire
  24. can — to be able to

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