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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.

Make a worksheet

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: squash · ball · branch · wave · racket · chest · shower · game

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chest — of your body
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. game — wild animals
  8. shower — to wash
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. chest — a box
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. squash — the sport
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. chest — of your body
  22. game — a match
  23. shower — rain
  24. branch — a division

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