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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: wound · cap · cabinet · squash · file · branch · spell · staff

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. staff — a stick
  3. spell — letters
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. squash — to crush
  10. file — a tool
  11. cap — a hat
  12. branch — a division
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spell — magic
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cap — a lid
  19. file — a document
  20. staff — employees
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. staff — employees

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