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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: mate · squash · file · wake · rush · pop · spell · date

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spell — magic
  7. file — a document
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rush — hurry
  10. date — the fruit
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. squash — to crush
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pop — music
  16. file — a tool
  17. spell — letters
  18. pop — soda
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pop — to visit
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wake — before a funeral

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