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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ball — a great time
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. row — a line
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — to dunk

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