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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. spring — of water
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bulb — for light
  6. current — electric
  7. spell — letters
  8. spring — a coil
  9. current — happening now
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. spring — the season
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pit — in a race
  16. spell — magic
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. current — 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