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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cap · squash · branch · mine · bulb · wave · stem · bark

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cap — a hat
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. squash — the sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mine — belonging to me

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