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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: mine · fall · squash · bulb · game · last · wind · staff

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. last — final
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bulb — for light
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wind — moving air
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. squash — the sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — a match
  23. fall — the season
  24. staff — employees

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