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

Word bank: fall · rest · pound · tear · squash · club · racket · scale

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. club — a group
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rest — what's left
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. squash — the sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pound — a weight
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fall — the season
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rest — a break
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fall — to drop
  21. club — for golf
  22. scale — in music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. scale — size or range

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