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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 120 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wake — a trail
  9. squash — the sport
  10. deal — to handle
  11. track — a song
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. object — a thing
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. snap — to click
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wake — before a funeral

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