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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: safe · rash · straw · squash · wake · fall · ground · deal

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rash — hasty
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rash — a series
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wake — a trail
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fall — the season
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. ground — a position

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