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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. current — of water
  3. squash — the sport
  4. current — happening now
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — a coil
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bank — for money
  9. season — of the year
  10. kick — in football
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bank — of a river
  14. current — electric
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. tear — to rip
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spring — the season
  23. season — in sport
  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