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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 120 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: wave · branch · hand · squash · pitcher · game · racket · mouse

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. squash — the sport
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. squash — to crush
  7. game — wild animals
  8. branch — a division
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hand — in cards
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. game — a match
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. hand — help
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. game — a kind of play

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