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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 116 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: pound · trunk · craft · squash · spring · wave · rush · hand

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. hand — help
  7. craft — a skill
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. spring — of water
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spring — the season
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. spring — a coil
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. squash — to crush
  24. craft — boats

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