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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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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: squash · bear · mark · arm · date · stock · shower · snap

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stock — goods
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mark — a trace
  6. shower — to wash
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. squash — to crush
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stock — shares
  16. shower — rain
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bear — the animal
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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