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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wake · rush · plane · spring · squash · face · charge · track

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. spring — the season
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. rush — hurry
  5. face — to point toward
  6. charge — electricity
  7. squash — the sport
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spring — of water
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wake — a trail
  14. charge — a price
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. track — a song
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. face — part of the head
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. charge — in control
  22. face — to confront
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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