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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. squash — the sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. calf — of the leg

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