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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: club · squash · tube · snap · game · stem · fall · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. tube — a container
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fall — the season
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pop — soda
  9. tube — the underground
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. snap — to click
  14. club — a group
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. game — a match
  17. fall — to drop
  18. game — wild animals
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pop — music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. squash — the sport
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. squash — to crush

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