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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
468
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: plane · squash · spell · bank · toast · cue · rash · court

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. plane — a tool
  4. toast — bread
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rash — a series
  7. cue — a signal
  8. court — of law
  9. spell — letters
  10. cue — a hint
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. court — of a king
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bank — for money
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bank — for money
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. squash — to crush
  22. court — for sport
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bank — of a river

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