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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spell — letters
  3. swing — to play on
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bank — for money
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bark — to shout
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fall — the season
  12. swing — music
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spell — magic
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bank — of a river
  22. lean — thin
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bank — for money

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