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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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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: cell · branch · bowl · rest · mate · squash · toast · bark

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mate — to breed
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bark — to shout
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mate — a friend
  11. branch — a division
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. toast — bread
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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