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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 124 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. scale — in music
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. lean — to bend
  8. squash — the sport
  9. scale — size or range
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. squash — to crush
  18. drill — the tool
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. drill — army training
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. lean — thin
  24. cold — an illness

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