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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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468
Word bank
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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. kid — child
  6. fall — to drop
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. kid — to tease
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bound — certain
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. snap — to click
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fall — the season

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