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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: jam · squash · march · last · lean · lie · leaves · cold

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. march — the month
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. last — to go on
  5. cold — an illness
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. march — music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. last — finally
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. march — the month
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cold — not warm
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lean — thin
  22. last — final
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cold — the Cold War

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