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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 · fine · rule · bulb · drill · lie · snap · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fine — all right
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rule — a law
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. drill — the tool
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bulb — for light
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. lie — an untruth

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