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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: branch · mate · wake · date · squash · tube · craft · straw

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. squash — the sport
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mate — to breed
  6. tube — a container
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. squash — to crush
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mate — a partner
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wake — a trail
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. tube — the underground

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