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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: branch · cue · pitcher · safe · key · bark · squash · spring

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bark — to shout
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — the season
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cue — a hint
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. squash — to crush
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cue — for pool
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. key — in music
  24. spring — of water

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