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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mug — a cup
  5. squash — to crush
  6. last — final
  7. plane — a tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. squash — the sport
  11. last — to go on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. branch — a division
  16. mug — to rob
  17. shower — rain
  18. mug — a face
  19. fall — to drop
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. last — finally
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. shower — to wash
  24. plane — in geometry

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