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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. kid — to tease
  5. current — electric
  6. tube — a container
  7. current — of water
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — to drop
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fall — the season
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. current — happening now
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tube — the underground
  24. snap — to click

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