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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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. wound — an injury
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wound — an injury
  6. last — final
  7. bank — of a river
  8. fine — all right
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bank — for money
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. last — to go on
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bank — for money
  17. shower — rain
  18. ball — a dance
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stem — to come from
  22. last — finally
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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