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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. snap — to click
  3. spring — a coil
  4. charge — electricity
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bank — for money
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. charge — in control
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. suit — in cards
  13. spell — magic
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. charge — a price
  17. bank — of a river
  18. spell — a short time
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bank — for money
  22. spell — letters
  23. squash — the sport
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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