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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. season — in sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. snap — to click
  8. prune — to trim
  9. last — finally
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. last — to go on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rush — hurry
  18. tear — from crying
  19. season — of the year
  20. squash — the sport
  21. last — final
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. tear — to rip
  24. season — to add flavour

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