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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bank — for money
  3. suit — in cards
  4. kid — child
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bound — certain
  8. wind — moving air
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fall — the season
  11. bank — for money
  12. suit — clothes
  13. fall — to drop
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bound — tied together
  16. kid — to tease
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bound — obliged
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bank — of a river
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wind — to turn a key

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