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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pop — to visit
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pop — music
  7. spring — the season
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — magic
  10. spring — of water
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spring — a coil
  13. band — a music group
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pop — soda
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chair — a leader
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. patient — a sick person

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