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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.

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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: squash · coach · pound · branch · safe · pitcher · can · spring

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — a tin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. can — a tin
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pound — a weight
  16. spring — of water
  17. squash — the sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — the season
  20. branch — a division
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pound — to hit hard

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