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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lie — to recline
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spring — the season
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spring — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chest — a box
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. spring — a coil
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chest — of your body
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fork — to eat with

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