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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · tube · lean · squash · object · cold

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bank — of a river
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. lean — thin
  11. object — to protest
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cold — an illness
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cold — not warm
  18. lean — to rest against

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