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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spring — the season
  4. squash — the sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rash — a series
  8. last — final
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — finally
  11. spring — of water
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. squash — to crush
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. can — a tin

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