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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: fall · firm · row · cabinet · squash · capital · saw · bear

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. row — to paddle
  6. firm — steady
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fall — to drop
  14. capital — a city
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fall — the season
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. saw — the tool
  20. firm — a company
  21. capital — money
  22. bear — the animal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. firm — decided

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