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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fall — to drop
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. squash — the sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fall — the season
  12. shower — rain
  13. bark — to shout
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fall — to drop
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. can — to be able to
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. snap — to click
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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