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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: mouse · fan · trunk · rush · ground · wind · squash · scale

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ground — a position
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. ground — the earth
  24. trunk — of a tree

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