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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spell — magic
  5. kid — to tease
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pound — a weight
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fall — the season
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bound — certain
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bound — tied together
  23. squash — to crush
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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