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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. content — the amount
  4. bank — for money
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bank — of a river
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bank — for money
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. content — happy
  19. deal — to handle
  20. drill — army training
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mark — a grade

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