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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. fall — to drop
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. roll — a list
  9. bass — low music
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fall — to drop
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. can — a tin
  21. bass — the fish
  22. can — a tin
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pound — a weight

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