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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 116 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: net · present · branch · coach · cabinet · squash · wound · can

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. present — a gift
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. can — a tin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. can — a tin
  9. net — after costs
  10. present — the time now
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. net — for catching
  18. present — there
  19. branch — a division
  20. net — in sport
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wound — an injury
  24. squash — to crush

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